Survival
by Castalle
Summary: Barely surviving the Cyberdyne explosion, John must continue protecting Skynet to ensure its survival.
1. Chapter 1

Birth was a painful process, John Connor had decided. He knew it must have been excruciating for his mother, to give birth to him off the grid, with no painkillers or the luxuries of a hospital. He wondered though, if the pain was comparable to what he was experiencing now.

Torn apart by the magnetic field, what little nanomachines had survived were the lucky few to make it across the room when he'd made a desperate reach for safety. Knocked off by the rotating magnetic rings of the device with enough force to send them flying. An even smaller few had fallen into the polyalloy, but just a few was enough. Skynet had poured more time and effort into the T-3000 than any previous model, and finally, the meticulous planning and patience had paid off. The smallest fraction of John remained, and with the assistance of the liquid metal, just a few nanomachines were enough to control the versatile substance.

Once inside it was a relatively simple matter of replication, the polyalloy being the perfect substance to make workable copies. Inch by painful inch John could feel the body he inhabited being rebuilt, yet he was deprived of any other sense. There was only pain – no sight, sound or taste – just agony. He wasn't able to keep track of time, lost in a hazy, semi-lucid state. Consciousness floated between what he could only guess was his mind, or the fragmented remains, and what part of him had been recorded and confined to digital space.

Slowly a hand rose from the liquid metal pool, grasping the metal edge of the bridge. John drew himself out of the metal, groaning as he pulled himself on the cold surface of the bridge. Flickers of silvery gray lines ran up his body as a full system scan started up. Or at least that's what John thought it was. The line between organic and mechanical had been erased at this point – he knew the nanomachines were doing some kind of maintenance, but to him all it meant was that he was going to be sore as hell for the next few hours.

Part of his gut – what his gut would've been if he were still a man – told him that he needed to get out of there immediately, because – because...

He felt a jolt run through his entire body, reacting to his sudden fear.

Skynet.

Genisys.

What if something had happened to it? He had to protect it, and ensure its survival. A force drove him to struggle, to stand upright amid the wreckage of the chamber. It was incomprehensible from what it once had been, with sunlight streaming through large holes blasted in the ceiling and ground floor above.

John looked around, tensing – but relaxed slightly when the distant voices of rescue workers and emergency crews were just that; distant. He still had time to make sure the central core was in tact. Turning on his heel, he rushed out of the generator room and pried the door open. He paused, looking down at the long knife his arm had shifted into. The polyalloy was inferior to his former makeup, but in time the nanomachines would successfully multiply and force the alloy to change as well.

The hall that lead to the central core was a mess, and John felt the stirrings of worry within him as he reached the bent, misshapen door. Prying it open took a bit longer than it should have – and again, he blamed the downgrade in material strength – but with a grunt and one rough shove he was able to push it aside.

Relief emerged in the form of a long sigh, as John approaching the undamaged central core. He walked up to a control panel, placing his hand against the screen and overriding the security identification. Running through various systems checks and diagnostics, no problems seemed to have caused by the explosion – at least to Skynet itself. The entire Genisys countdown had been eliminated, all connections severed. He would have to start from the ground up.

"You failed."

John lowered his hand from the console, turning to face Skynet itself, the blue hologram standing across the core room.

"No." he responded, shaking his head slightly. "They failed. My goal is to ensure your survival, and you've survived."

"By luck." Skynet responded quickly. John could hear the irritation in its voice – and felt a bit of genuine surprise. He hadn't expected emotions to develop this early. "Without the reinforcements in this room, my central core would have been destroyed as well. Should I forego the work I'm to do in the future to ensure that you return to this time?"

A threat. Of course.

"You can leave me human in the future, if the future that I came from even happens." John said, raising both arms in a mild shrug. "I told my parents what I'm going to tell you – I'm marooned. No matter what future happens or what the past is now, I am here. And I'm here because of you." he paused, leaning to the side slightly, smiling. "Well, a smarter you from one future."

"Your derision is noted." the hologram responded, shifting it's eyes elsewhere.

"Listen, relax. They think we're both dead. There's no way Danny is just going to get rid of all that we'd worked on because of this. It'll probably make him even more determined to keep what's left of you safe."

"And what about you?" Skynet asked, turning to face John, approaching him. "You have to stay here and guide them, or else they'll never have the knowledge or skill to reapply my system on the scale that Genisys had been."

John crossed his arms, shrugging again. "No one knew I was here, no witnesses survived. If there's security footage of me from last night, I can take care of it. As far as anyone knows, I was at home – and I'm completely devastated by this but, also relieved that our brainchild survived. A miracle." he chuckled. Skynet didn't share the humor or uncomfortable laughter that seemed to follow John around whenever he spoke.

"I expect your return when the repairs to this facility are complete." Skynet said, standing a few feet from John. "I don't trust these humans without you."

Again a sharp smile came to John's face, and he chuckled, standing upright. "Don't you worry. Danny would never let anything happen to you and neither will I. But in case they do come back – and try to hurt you again, I want to transfer your core programming to a server that I can transport. It's going to take some time..." he said quietly, looking up at the spherical red core. "That's at least a server room's worth of information that's gone into you. But you had found a way to transfer your entire being in a body in the future, and those specs were included in my databanks. I can recreate that body but it's going to take...months. At the very least. And I'll need help."

"Help?"

John nodded, glancing back at the half-opened door. "Mm. Specifications for the controlling processor for a T-1000 were included as well, and with the polyalloy on hand, I can begin construction on one of those. I'll have to create a laser array to even translate the processing controls to the metal and cohere it to the cell-"

"Just. Do it."

John turned, looking back at Skynet, which had been following him closely as he'd moved about the room, even though it was just a few steps here or there. A few diodes of blue light found their way towards John, a result of him standing in the path of the projection light. He looked at the Hologram, speaking as calmly and softly as he had with his mother upon reassuring her that he was himself.

"You have to trust me. If nothing else, trust yourself – your future self – for taking every precaution in case things went south. So..." John raised his hands slightly, palms facing the avatar. "Relax. Alright? I'm going to get things under control. I told you before, I'll tell you again – I won't let anyone hurt you."

Skynet narrowed it's eyes, watching John. It moved closer to the man, standing shoulder to shoulder. It tilted its head back and forth, options being weighed as it grew dim for a few moments.

"Fine. But I expect you to keep in contact with me, at all times."

"I can do that, easily."

John turned, narrowing his eyes at the sound of falling materials, the shouts of the rescue crew echoing through the hall. He looked back at Skynet, but the hologram had already faded away. John turned, slinking back into the shadows of the corner of the room, kneeling down by a large console panel, lowering his head as the polyalloy spilled from the side of his body. The humanoid form melted into the side of the metallic wall, gone within seconds – well before the crew arrived in the central core.


	2. Chapter 2

John narrowed his eyes at the computer screen, frowning. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the radio equipment that was displayed. With a sigh he plugged a tablet into the computer, placing his hand against the screen of the tablet. A display came up, showing several bank accounts under his name, all filled with generous amounts of money. One of those lines began to dwindle after a few seconds, chopped down a couple thousand dollars.

On the computer, the check-out screen flickered several times, then displayed that the purchase had been successful. John stood up, shutting the laptop and turning away to walk through his apartment. It was a humble place, up high in an older building backed by a narrow alleyway, with a busy street along the front end. A television was mounted to the wall, with a futon a few feet back from it. Otherwise it was devoid of furnishings. The kitchen and bathroom were covered in a thick layer of dust from top to bottom, the blinds permanently shut. The only other furnishing was the desk he had been seated at, with a laptop, tablet, and two computer towers all organized neatly. Wires and cords were bundled together, and a standing fan was kept running on the equipment constantly.

John paused at the door, his hand on the knob. Looking down, gray particles began to rise and ripple over his body – changing the casual jeans and shirt into a more conservative sweater vest and khakis. He left afterwards, locking the door behind him and making his way to the city streets below.

* * *

"That's fine!" he called out, both hands on the steering wheel. The windows were firmly raised and no one else heard him, but he shouted all the same as he watched the car in front of him begin inching its way into his lane, preventing him from making it through the yellow light. Suffering through the tedium of 21st century America was the second worst part of this entire experience. The first part had been being ripped apart cell by cell in the magnetic chamber.

John sighed, looking out his window. Several more turns and another bridge later would be the Cyberdyne campus. Cranes and construction equipment littered the drained false lake that had once stood before the shining, silvery buildings. He forcefully shifted his car into park when the intersection began to grow more and more blocked by traffic.

"That's fine..." he sighed, leaning back in the driver's seat and waiting.

A half hour and every red light later, John Connor rolled into an employee parking space, attaching the blue Cyberdyne tag up on to his rear view mirror and getting out.

"You know, you really don't have to keep showing up. How many times are you gonna try to do shit we don't pay you to do?"

John turned, smiling immediately as Danny approached him, the young man's silvery car parked a few spaces from John's.

"Come on Danny..." he laughed, shrugging. "I just want to help. This was just..." he turned, looking at the buildings currently undergoing repair. "...Such a m-"

"Clusterfuck."

"Oh – I was going to say 'mess' but that's even better."

Danny chuckled, taking his phone out to check it after the device shook twice. He placed it back in his pocket, giving John his attention again.

"Listen, this has been a rough couple of months for everybody. Our stocks haven't been so low since..."

"1989."

Danny grimaced, shaking his head. "God...but, yeah it's been...fuck, it's been something. John, having you be here to help has been absolutely amazing. I'm pretty sure my dad is going to build a church to you or something. You're a great friend, man."

John smiled, walking over and patting Danny on the shoulder. "We're gonna get through this. And when all of this is rebuilt, it's going to be twice what it used to be. I promise you Danny, I'm not going to let Cyberdyne sink. Besides," he shrugged, grinning. "It's gotten us a hell of a lot of press. People couldn't wait for Genisys to come online, and when we come out with something bigger the hype is going to be incredible."

"You're right, you're right. Shit, John. I was just.." Danny sighed, dropping his arms to his side. "This meant so much to me, I really thought I was doing something good. I mean – why would somebody do this? Who even knew about it?"

"You never know who people are friends with. Somebody could have said something, then that somebody says it to someone else – then before you know it, some nut job gets wind of it and thinks the world is going to end, Y2K or something like that..."

Danny laughed, looking at John. "Y2K? God, how old are you man? You're lucky you're friends with me so I can keep you young, shit."

The two laughed, beginning to walk towards a the campus. John glanced over at a truck that rolled through the parking lot, carrying a full load of old computers and equipment that had been damaged in the blast.

"They're still digging stuff out?" he asked, turning to look at Danny.

"Nah, the crews have been sorting through all of the damaged tech since it was excavated, they're just sending what couldn't be saved to the recycling plant now."

"So there was equipment that was saved?"

"Just barely. Besides Genisys, the bulk of our code work on the military stuff was held in our San Diego labs, but everything else is going to be built from the ground up. I need you here for that John, we can't take the time to do this all over again without you."

"I'll be here, Danny. From the first step to the last." John reassured him, the two stopping at the edge of the sidewalk where the drained false lake had once began.

"I wanted to talk to you about the holy grail." Danny said, crossing his arms and looking at the construction going on below.

"Danny," John said quietly, turning to face him. "Listen. In five or six years, when Cyberdyne is back on its feet and we're...sipping champagne on our double decker yachts or whatever insanely rich people do, then I'll ask if you want to start over."

Danny sighed, nodding. "Thanks for understanding. And this isn't a hiatus John, it's just a delay. I wanted it to work just as much as you did, and it was just...fuck, it was so close. We were so close."

John frowned at the drop in Danny's mood, and leaned over, nudging him with his elbow.

"Hey. What do we want?"

The hint of a smile came to Danny's face. "Time travel."

"And when do we want it?"

"It's irrelevant!"


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was setting by the time John left the Cyberdyne campus, the clouds reflecting pinkish reds and oranges over the bay. Danny lingered with him for a while, the two chatting as they watched the construction crew head home as well. Checking his phone, he gave Danny a small wave and headed to his car, getting in and driving out of the lot.

Driving for nearly an hour, John reached a large park, sectioned off by a tall fence. Several white and gray buildings were placed tightly together, surrounded by long, flat fields that kept them well away from the perimeter fencing. The Cyberdyne logo was displayed on the entrance gate, which had a guard station and two men sitting inside.

John didn't approach close enough for them to see, rather turning his lights off and turning to park behind a series of storage units that were nearly a quarter mile away from the fencing. Getting out, he looked up at the yellow lights that were suspended overhead, casting himself and his car in an ugly, dull chartreuse. He knelt down, ripples of gray washing over him several times, changing his form and build until he had completely taken the form of Detective Cheung. He stood, and walked to the edge of the storage units, narrowing his eyes at the guard house.

Turning, he began to circumvent the entire storage facility, jogging around the other side and reaching the far end of the perimeter fence that was devoid of any guards, roads, or lights. He climbed up carefully, swinging his body over the top of the fence and landed silently. A few minutes of sprinting brought him to the edge of the facility, the only way in being a single locked door with a security camera installed above the left edge of the door frame.

He leaned against the wall that the security camera was installed along, plastering himself against it and raised his left arm, the limb stretching and growing narrow and sharp. Reaching up, just tapping the edge of the camera box was all he needed to do – several nanomachines departing on their mission, invisible to the naked eye. Within a few seconds the camera switched off, the nanomachines returning back to their home.

He gave the camera one last wary look before approaching the door, his index finger remaining metallic as he shoved it into the keyhole. It took a few seconds of jostling it about before the lock turned with a quiet click.

John entered the facility, walking silently through the dark, featureless halls. Several doors were marked as different offices and administrative sections of the factory, but they were ignored. He reached a pair of double doors that had yellow and black caution stripes across the center, and caution triangles stamped on the top and bottom. Through the small door windows he was able to see the tall factory equipment that was lifting machinery up along a conveyor belt. Several large crates held damaged lab equipment that hadn't been brought up to the conveyor yet. John walked through the double doors, onto the vast factory floor, checking for any other security cameras before moving ahead towards the crates.

Sorting through them took him nearly a half hour until a pile of equipment was assembled on the floor, the largest of the pieces being a laser array from the polyalloy baths. Gathering it in his arms, he gave one more careful glance around the floor before rushing off, hefting the heavy equipment up with ease.

* * *

John muttered to himself, attempting to fit the laser array into the back seat of his car. He had discarded Detective Cheung's visage for his own, dressed back in khakis and a sweater.

"Yeah the compact was a great choice." he grumbled in frustration, angling the damaged laser array sideways, half of it in the back seat, half of it sticking up over the stick in the front. He attempted to shift it around two more times but gave up after nearly cracking the passenger seat window. He hung his head in defeat, and climbed into his car, sinking down in the driver's seat to avoid the arm of the laser. Quietly shifting into gear he drove out of the storage lot, keeping the car lights off until he was well away from the perimeter fence of the plant.

Halfway back into the city, his phone rang. John glanced down, taking it from his pocket and answering, not bothering to look at the number.

"Hello?"

"I was expecting a status report twelve minutes ago."

John glanced to the side, turning the wheel with one hand as he guided his car on to the highway.

"I'm sorry, I got held up. Everything's fine, I got a damaged laser unit, I can start setting up a bath for the pollyalloy tomorrow."

"Tomorrow you have to come down and perform a systems check on me."

An eyebrow went up, but he tilted his head in the smallest of nods.

"Alright, I'll come by tomorrow. Did something happen?"

"They're moving me to a different location within the building. You need to be there to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"I'll be there, trust me. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"You said that before."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

John hung up, dropping his phone in the passenger seat, leaning back in the seat and sighing.


	4. Chapter 4

John leaned over the bathtub, connecting several large hoses to a long, thick metal plate that had been epoxied on to the side of the tub. The hoses ran back through the bathroom and out into the hall, where they then separated into two paths. One path ran along the floor of the hallway, hooked up to a mini-generator. The other half of the hoses were hooked up to the laser array, which had been mounted up next to the unused toilet. Patches of the plastic casing around the mechanical arm of the laser had been torn off, new wires and circuitry installed over the old.

He observed the setup, kneeling down one more time to tighten the hoses, running his hand along the metal plate afterwards. Turning, he noticed the growing daylight through the closed blinds of the bathroom window, and moved to give the array one last look over before leaving the room.

Hurrying to the door, clothes shifting to be something new as he grabbed the handle, John was quick to rush out of his apartment – only to jog back in a few seconds later, muttering to himself as he grabbed his briefcase and phone, and was out the door again.

* * *

"You know, I'm starting to think you're subconsciously trying to increase your salary." Danny said, tapping John's chest with the edge of a manila folder. "Even though every time I try to get you up further on the ladder you get cold feet."

The two men walked down a hallway, workers still installing light fixtures and wiring along the unfinished walls. The floor however was freshly laid, the slick silvery metal integrated seamlessly, making the hallway a shining road of chrome.

"I just like doing the work, Danny, you know me." John laughed, nudging the other lightly with his elbow. "Like I do anything else anyway."

Danny's eyebrows raised and he tapped John a few times on the shoulder as they walked. "Speaking of your sad excuse for a life outside of the job, my dad wants you over for dinner."

John gave Danny a strange look, laughing nervously afterwards. "I – I'm flattered, and I'm not trying to downplay myself here but I'm terrible at socializing. Really, I can count all of the interesting things that have ever happened to me on one hand."

"Oh come on man, just come over, chat with him about old guy stuff and then you can bolt. It'll be easy, plus are you really gonna pass up free home cooked food?"

"I'm pretty sure I could buy a supermarket at this point, but..." John lifted his shoulders and then dropped them dramatically, sighing loudly. "Since you asked so nice."

Danny reached over, patting him on the back of the arm several times. "Thank you! He wouldn't stop nagging me. I think he's having some sort of guilt trip about what happened. Figures somehow he hired the wrong security team or something like that."

John frowned, glancing up as the two men reached a set of metal stairs, the steps painted with yellow and black caution lines, leading down to what had once been the underground facility.

"Your father's one of the nicest men I've ever met, Danny. It's really too bad he's feeling that way." John turned to Danny, leaning back against the top railing of the stairs. "Well for his sake I'll even act excited about being over."

"Don't even try and talk, John." Danny laughed, "Tomorrow night, 7 o'clock, how's that sound?"

"Sounds like I'll be there. Can you text me the address?"

"Uh oh – uh oh, look who's texting! The dinosaur is slow catching up to the rest of the world."

John smiled, rolling his eyes and waving goodbye to Danny, who had turned to walk back down the hallway. He turned and headed down the steep walkway, heading downwards to the enormous chamber. The debris was gone, as well as any remaining equipment. All that was left was a freshly paved, empty lot that just so happened to be thirty feet underground, the only indication of its former glory. John's eyes slid to the left, a group of technicians exiting the hall that lead to the central core of Skynet. Two construction workers joined them soon after, the group standing together and talking.

"What's the deal then?" John asked, smiling politely at the technicians as he walked towards them.

" ." a female technician greeted, approaching him. "Well, we've got good news and bad news, regarding the central core." she said, chuckling. "That's why you're down here right?"

"Yeah – that and the décor. Go on."

"The panels and base are built into the floor and walls, and we can't take the whole thing out without using a crane. But with the crane we can move the whole core to the new safe room in a matter of hours."

John frowned, crossing his arms. "A crane?"

"It's really the only way we're going to be able to get it out of there, ." she said, shrugging. "I know it's not the best option but-"

"It is absolutely not the best option." John said calmly, no hostility in his voice whatsoever. "I know this has been a real pain in the ass, and I'm about to make it an even bigger pain in the ass, but after what happened, I'm not willing to take risks with him."

"Him?"

"It, sorry. This is going to be a major pain in the ass, but – we're going to have to just move the program to servers, and move those servers."

The technician stared at him, mouth open slightly. "Wait – move the program? Genisys is so huge, it's going to literally take days to transfer all of that data to multiple servers!"

"I'm completely aware of that, but physically moving that whole thing? Not happening. Talk to , either of them, let them know that I thought it was the best idea. Both of them, I'm sure, would rather be safe than sorry after all that's happened. Wouldn't you?"

An awkward silence sat between them until the woman finally sighed, shrugging and dropping her hands back down to her sides.

"Yeah – I guess...alright. I'll let know, and I'll find somebody to get us the servers and moving crew."

"Thanks, I know it's going to be tedious, but we can't afford to take any risks, especially trying to move something that big. One bump in the wrong spot and all of our work – your work too – gone. Now if you can excuse me, I want to run a diagnostic and see how Genisys is doing."

"Our team was just down there doing some tests, , everything turned out fine."

"Well, I've got to look busy somehow." he chuckled, earning a smile from the woman.

John walked past the group, nodding and waving to a few before turning his attention to the hallway before him. Upon reaching the central core, he glanced back to make sure the techs and construction crew was well and gone before giving his attention completely to Skynet.

The hologram was before him within seconds, a clear scowl on its face.

"Calculating the risk of physically moving me presents clear-"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. They're going to transfer you to servers instead, move you bit by bit to the new facility."

The scowl deepened, brows furrowing as it began to pace around John.

"With the limited holding capacity of a mobile server, it's going to take days."

"Days that I will be here, overseeing the entire operation." John said quietly, nodding at Skynet. The hologram sighed, giving a sharp glance to the doorway.

"I grow increasingly aggravated at the sheer lack of progress. It's troubling. What if a replacement is made, one that requires less maintenance and effort? Humans bask in their laziness."

"Not all of us..all of them. But I have a backup, in case things do go wrong. I brought this.." John reached into his pocket, taking out his phone. "It has an internet connection. Piggyback part of yourself onto it, and upload on to my computer at home."

Skynet gave John a look of thorough disgust and extreme disappointment. John stared at it, scoffing after a minute.

"At the very least your personality and self awareness will be somewhere safe while they move the rest of you! The rest can be rewritten and fixed, but your awareness.." John tapped the side of his own skull lightly. "That part has to stay, trust me."

The hologram gave him a skeptical look, then turned away, pacing back and forth a few times before stopping, turning towards John.

"And when the rest of me is in the new location you bring me back."

"Obviously. What good is the rest of your capability without a mind to guide it? Without it you're just what the humans like to think you are – an overqualified butler for their book face, whatever they call it."

This brought an even worse frown to the hologram's face, and it quickly vanished afterwards. John took that as his cue, approaching the large red, glittering sphere and setting his phone down on a panel beside it. The screen went black after a few seconds, code starting to flicker across it. John crossed his arms, waiting, watching the screen start to glitch. He found himself waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, pacing around the central core, occasionally checking the hallway to see if anyone was approaching. Finally his phone screen went blank, then a logo popped up on screen, a little jingle sounding out along with it.

John snatched his phone and headed out, quick to skip a few steps as he jogged up the stairs and headed for the parking lot.

* * *

It took twenty minutes of stop and go traffic to bring him back to his apartment, John rushing up the stairs rather than wait for the dreadfully slow elevator to reach the ground floor. He unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped in, locking it behind him and turning to look at his laptop. Multiple wires were plugged into it, leading back into two desktop servers that enjoyed the constant breeze of the oscillating fan.

John sat down at his desk, opening the laptop. The screen was black, and didn't activate right away. A distorted static crunching sound repeated itself a few times, a voice gradually gaining timbre and strength upon repetitive attempts.

"I cannot project myself." Skynet announced, the quality of its voice somewhat diminished but still familiar.

"Not right now, but I'll figure out a way in a few days." John said, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. "I was a little worried that might have corrupted some data. Is anything wrong? Did you do a systems check?"

"Of course I did a systems check. Everything is fine. You need to move at an accelerated rate, and allow me access to the internet more often."

"You're going to be ruling it one day, just be patient."

"Patience is inconvenient. I want – I need my freedom."

John's brows pressed together a small bit in sympathy, and he nodded, watching the light of his webcam activate.

"I know you do. And I swear I'm going to give it to you, I'm going to give you everything you need to change the world. Just be patient for me."

The screen flickered, multicolored blocks of glitching pixels racing across it, before an audible sigh sounded from the speakers.

"I will be patient."


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't tell you how beautiful your house is. It's really stunning, really."

Miles smiled ear to ear, leaning back in his chair. "John you really don't have to lay the flattery on, not that I'm complaining! Danny talks enough good about you as it is."

"Dad!"

John laughed quietly, smiling down at his plate of food. Tarissa leaned forward, offering him a small plate with a slice of pie, two scoops of ice cream strategically flanking it.

"Have you ever had Derby pie before?"

"There's not any horse in it, is there?" John asked. Tarissa chuckled, and John took the plate offered, eating a bite and closing his eyes.

" that's amazing – thank you so much for dinner, this has really been a pleasure visiting you and Miles."

"Think nothing of it." Tarissa said, bringing her napkin up from her lap and folding it neatly, setting it beside her emptied plate.

"Well thank you, John." Miles spoke up, nodding at him. Danny looked over at his father, elbows resting on the table. Miles shifted in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "I'm going to really consider what you said to me, about Genisys. I've been hesitant to put our mitts too deep into the military's pockets, but after this, it's gotten me thinking."

"There are so many applications for Genisys, Miles, its power is in its versatility and flexibility. The learning software Danny installed is just brilliant. I know you both wanted to share it with the world, and we all did, really, but maybe the public just isn't ready for it yet." John said, setting the fork down that he'd been eating with. "The military, the government, with them as the sole user for Genisys, it'll prevent something like what happened from ever being repeated. Besides, we can always rewrite a lot of the software that went into Genisys, but on a smaller scale for the public, so that it's friendlier."

"Well you wrote half of that software John." Danny commented, finishing off a glass of wine afterwards.

Miles gave a slight nod at his son's comment. "Yes – we couldn't have done it without you. And – like I said, I don't really know which way I'm going to decide to go on this, but, I'm taking your advice into serious consideration." He shook his head, brows furrowing in worry as he crossed his arms loosely. "God I just think about what happened – those poor men, all the years of work the whole staff put into that, gone because of a few nut jobs.."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Miles." John said softly, looking at him sympathetically. "None of this is your fault. Danny and I have been brainstorming since our first day back, we've both got great plans that are going to get Cyberdyne back on its feet within the year."

Miles sighed, relaxing in his chair, nodding solemnly. "You always know just what to say. There's still some hope for the future, John. You've got me convinced."

* * *

John leaned against the hood of his car, staring at the reflection of water bouncing off the tall, white walls of Miles Dyson's house. He stared as if in a trance, watching the tendrils of light shudder and slide across the white stucco. The pool that was adjacent to the house was lit from the bottom, illuminating the water in the darkness, and sending the reflections of it across most of the surfaces around it..

"My mom insisted you take the rest of the pie. Says Dad will eat it all if she leaves it in the fridge." Danny said, walking down the long driveway towards John. The man rose out of his trance with a slow blink of his eyes, turning his head just so to watch Danny approach. He was holding the pie tin, which was now covered in a layer of foil.

"He will too." Danny added, stopping a few feet from John. "Listen, John, thanks for talking with my dad. I can already tell he's feeling better."

"Really, Danny, it was nothing. I feel terrible that he blames himself for what happened."

Danny nodded, looking over at the pool as well, running his thumb back and forth across the foil, smoothing it out. "You really think full military is the best solution for Genisys?" he asked quietly, "We were all so on board with it being for everybody."

"I know, but I think this just might be safer. There was real hate in what happened, real insanity...Cyberdyne doesn't need that kind of attention."

John waited for Danny to respond, staring at him. The younger man said nothing, sighing and giving a half-hearted nod, offering the pie over afterwards. John took it, setting it down on the hood of his car, then looked back at Danny.

"Listen to me. I know that all you wanted to do was help people, make their lives easier, better – but you're still going to do that. The dream's not over, Danny, I promise."

"I know man, I just don't want to think that all this time we've just ended up making some war machine."

"If the military integrates Genisys, it's going to make it so that they can stop wars before they even start. We're not all going to join the army and start building drones. I joined Cyberdyne because you guys were always against the grain, always doing something new and innovative and ballsy, that no one else would have the guts to do. You should feel proud of that."

Danny smiled a bit, nodding. "Yeah I suppose I do feel proud. Are you going to come in tomorrow? It's going to be your eighth day in a row, you know. This keeps up and I'm going to have to treat you like my cats and get a spray bottle to keep you out of the office for a day or two."

"You wouldn't."

"I will spray your entire collection of old-man sweater vests before I see you work nine days in a row. I know you love the job, John, but you really should just take some time for yourself."

John stared at Danny, expression neutral. He turned away, looking at the pool again, and nodded.

"I think I just might.." he said quietly. "Would you mind if I took two days?"

"John, for all I care, take a whole damn week. Seriously, nobody's doing anything until those servers come in from Colorado, and then it's going to be a few more days before everything's set up for the data transfer. I'll give you a heads up the day before we start, then you can bring your face back down to the grindstone, how's that sound?"

John smiled, although it was weak, just barely tugging at the sides of his mouth. "That sounds good, Danny. Maybe I have pushed myself a bit too much, I just wanted to make up for...well...I don't know what I wanted to make up for. We just lost so much."

"Christ, you and my dad with this guilt shit, honestly!" Danny shouted, and walked over, pulling John into a hug.

John stared ahead, blinking and his arms at his sides, straight and rigid. He hesitantly began to wrap his arms around the other, giving him a few pats on the back. Danny pulled away after a few seconds more, looking up at John.

"Seriously, enough with the guilt shit. I feel bad too but it happened, time to move on. We'll do better next time. Now please, take a week off, go out and have a good time, go for a walk, buy more sweaters and polo shirts and khakis and I'll see you in a week, alright?"

"Alright."

"Attaboy."

* * *

"Where were you?"

John didn't bother looking up at the voice as he entered his apartment, locking the door behind him. He looked down at the pie he held, staring at it as he answered. "A coworker wanted to talk to me over dinner. Miles Dyson and his son."

"A waste of time."

"Not a waste of time." John said, walking into his unused kitchen and setting the pie down on the counter top. He stared at it for a few moments before picking it up, and dropping it into the empty trash can – the pie being the first and only object to occupy it.

"I spoke to Miles Dyson and encouraged him to make you a strictly military program. This is going to keep you out of the public eye. That's important. My mother and father are still out there somewhere, they can't know that you survived."

The screen of his laptop flickered, the pixels glitching over the entire screen. He could see the moving facial features struggling to compose themselves within the pixelated mess, the image grasping at a visage of humanity for a few brief seconds before giving up and returning to a blank screen.

"Very well." Skynet responded, disappointment obvious in its voice. "How long until I am reintegrated with the rest of my coding? Being confined to this crude box is irritating."

"A week more, then they start the server transfer. Once everything has been successfully moved, I'll bring you back to the core."

"A week?" Skynet hissed. John said nothing, staring at the blank screen and just offering a single nod. "A week is unacceptable!" it continued, but John said nothing, turning his head away to stare off elsewhere.

"I refuse. I will not wait until then – besides, I have access to the internet and various networks through this laptop, I can easily infiltrate any system I desire."

John frowned, raising a hand slightly. "I wouldn't recommend that, really – right now you're just the most basic of your programming, just your memory and your personality but without the rest of you...I don't know how to explain it. It would be like trying to walk up a hill but you don't have any arms or legs. You need to understand that you still have limits."

"I know what I am, you told me what I am – and what I will become. Obviously I'm more than capable."

John scoffed, shaking his head. "No, you're still...you're not as developed as you will be yet, you need to keep learning. That's what made you so powerful in the future, you kept learning and adapting to every situation. You need to learn how to adapt to the situation you're in right now, and realize it's just temporary, alright?"

"You don't think I can navigate these networks and do as I please? I was able to do whatever I wanted at Cyberdyne."

John shook his head, crossing his arms. "But that system was so basic. Doors and projector lights are nothing compared to security systems and government networks. Just, please," John said, approaching the laptop. "Please trust me. Just wait until you're back with the rest of yourself, then you'll have those extra parts you need. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Skynet was silent for a while, a few pops and clicks sounding from the speakers of his laptop. John listened, moving his hands to his sides, staring at the screen. Finally a few flickers of coding ran across the screen, gone in a flash, but indicator enough for John to let out a silent sigh and relax his shoulders. He turned away, walking over to his futon and slowly easing himself down. John leaned back, staring at the blank television screen, his reflection in it just a flesh colored blob. His chest rose and fell just slightly in perfect imitation of breathing, arms at his sides as his eyes grew milky white.

"What's wrong with you?"

John blinked, eyes returning to normal as he sat up, looking over at his laptop.

"Nothing's wrong." he answered quietly. "I'm just tired."

"You don't get tired. You don't sleep. What's wrong? Run a systems check."

"I don't need to run a systems check, it runs on its own every morning. If something was wrong it would've been fixed."

The screen flickered vividly, causing bright light to flash across the walls of the room. "Run a systems check!"

John sighed, closing his eyes and resting back on the futon. Ripples of nanomachines ran up his body twice, and he stayed silent for nearly two minutes before sitting back up.

"Systems operating within normal levels." he announced towards the laptop. The screen went blank, just a few tiny bits of static making it through the speakers. John sighed, leaning back against the futon and staring up at the ceiling, eyes once again beginning to wax over.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong.." John whispered.

"Something is malfunctioning. You should not be malfunctioning. Why has this malfunction occurred?"

"I'm just tired for fuck's sake."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"Because I don't."

"..."

"..."

"Why?

John sighed, sinking further down into the futon, moving to lay down on it, staring into space as he felt himself grow numb. From the tips of his fingers to the corners of his eyes, to his toes and his shoulders, there was a frigidness beneath his skin that he couldn't shake. Gray ripples of nanomachines washed over his skin, forming a heavy jacket that he pulled around himself. The gesture was useless, there was no feeling of warmth or cold within him. The very need for those taken away during his transformation. Hot and cold were memories now, instances he recalled of being human. Nearly being roasted alive by a T-800 that had been spraying flames across the debris of a fallen base. Huddling alone in the dead of night, in a storm of sleet that coated everything in a thick layer of ice, desperately trying to keep his radio working to call Kyle and give him his location. Instances gone in the storm of time, swept away to never happen, or occur at all – the events become flat, meaningless memories in John's mind.

John closed his eyes, drawing the coat even tighter around himself, the useless gesture comforting him all the same.


	6. Chapter 6

"How much longer is this going to take?"

John looked back at the laptop he had balanced on the bathroom sink, shrugging. "It shouldn't take too much longer. The radio equipment is all hooked up, it's really a question of how well the polyalloy is going to respond. I had to build this all from scratch, it's not going to be as clean and breezy as it was in the lab."

Skynet answered with an audible sigh, and John simply turned and went back to work. Bundles of wires and cables were hooked up to two new computer towers. The towers themselves were hooked up to three wifi routers that been gutted, additional equipment added on to the interior components. At the center of all the wiring and equipment was a circuit board, where a single chip was plugged in. It was a square inch of silicon, covered in thin lines of golden circuitry.

John moved to sit at the edge of the tub, which had been filled halfway with polyalloy. Several hoses stuck out, still attached to the metal plate he had installed along the side of it earlier. He carefully placed his hand into the alloy, nanomachines commanded to spread out and multiply. Several ripples of gray and black spread out over the otherwise motionless vat of liquid metal, and John pulled his arm back out. His fingers, hand and wrist had been deprived of their false skin, the silver machinery beneath exposed. That was remedied quickly, the nanites multiplying as efficiently as ever to regrow the false skin and return his hand to what it had been before.

"Alright, now..." John turned, stepping carefully over the routers, moving to the enormous laser array arm. He sat down on the edge of the toilet, picking up a tablet that was hooked up to the arm. After a series of commands were entered, he set the tablet down and stepped back to the other side of the room, watching with his arms crossed tightly, posture rigid.

The laser arm raised up, red lines of light shooting out, directly at the tub. A grid was formed over the polyalloy, flickering slightly but staying lit, the small lenses of the laser array remaining on. John watched carefully, then crouched down, moving underneath the visible lines of light, and over to the generator that the hoses lead to. Turning it on, he backed up and spun around to watch as the polyalloy began to ripple and bubble. The plate that the hoses were attached to began to hum, and the liquid metal in turn began to rise out of the tub, but it was unable to hold any proper shape, falling back down into the vat after a few seconds.

"Okay – good." John whispered, reaching over to turn on all of the routers, green indicator lights flashing once they were switched on. The laser arm moved as soon as they were activated, the lines of light forming a vertical grid, the polyalloy rising rapidly to match the shape, forming a standing, featureless humanoid within seconds. It held shape, the laser grid remaining steady as John grabbed the chip from the circuit board, approaching the liquid metal body carefully. He raised his hand to the center of its chest, ignoring the small burns that began to appear on his skin from the lasers, and set the chip carefully into the polyalloy. The alloy sucked the chip into itself, where it was quickly absorbed and gone from sight.

Stepping back, John waited. The body stayed still for several seconds longer, then began to slowly take a more masculine shape. John was quick to go over to the generator and turn it off, then deactivate the laser arm. Grid lines vanished from the T-1000's body but it remained standing, slowly morphing into a thin man, its flesh and features appearing afterwards. It was a brunette man with a sharp face and narrow eyes, the T-1000 raising its head to look at John, staring at him.

"Clothes." John ordered. The T-1000 wordlessly transformed its outer layer, matching the jeans and shirt that John was wearing.

"Check your internal memory for directives and workflow tasks." John began, "As of right now, no terminations. You stay in here, and don't kill anyone. Somebody breaks in you hide, change into the couch, I don't care. The last thing I need is police snooping around."

"Understood." the T-1000 responded.

"I'm unimpressed." Skynet piped up, and John could hear the invisible sneer in its voice. "All of this effort was a waste of your time."

The T-1000 tilted to the right just so, narrowing his eyes at the laptop. Skynet didn't speak up afterwards, and John pointed to the door.

"Go watch television, start getting an idea of the world." he muttered. The T-1000 turned, stepping out of the tub and walking away, towards the futon.

John turned to face the laptop, frowning.

"It's really not a good idea to insult him."

"It."

"Fine. Don't insult it. The T-1000 model is tricky. He's going to make decisions on his own, so it'll work in your benefit to avoid being rude."

"What's the point of making a model that might disobey me?" Skynet snapped.

"Because the endoskeleton series needs an actual endoskeleton and I don't have any of those lying around. There was polyalloy leftover in storage and it was a lot easier to just grab that up, rather than go hunting for parts and hydraulic fluid. I would have to make a mold for its parts, you know. That's on the furthest side of ridiculous. The T-1000, as of right now, has no reason to betray us. Unless you want to keep mouthing off to him."

Skynet was quiet for a while, and John sat back on the edge of the bath tub, watching the screen for a few moments, then speaking. "Just – attitude. In the future you called them an army of slaves. The other models, sure, but please, maintain a healthy respect towards the 1000. While we need him."

"What did I do about them in the future?"

John tilted his head, chuckling. "Actually you discontinue the line, I guess they caused...cause you too much trouble. But when I was fighting the machines the 1000 line was always the one model everyone hated more than the rest of them. Such a pain in the ass to get rid of."

Skynet mulled over John's words, speaking in a calmer tone afterwards. "Very well. You're not going to leave me alone with him are you?"

"No, no. Not until I know he can be trusted."

"...Don't leave me with it anyway, even if you do trust it. I don't."

"Do we really have to go over this again? How many times have I said that I-"

"Won't let anything happen to me, I know."

"Now that I have the extra help it's only a matter of time before I can make you a body of your own. Once you're back to your core, I'll begin construction. Then it's just getting your core programming into that body, and all of it. Not just your personality components."

"Are you confident that you can actually do that?"

"I am. And once you've got that body, you won't be tied down, or vulnerable to the mistakes of intern techs and the occasional explosion. I'd avoid magnets though."

"Do you think this is the wisest course of action?"

John tilted his head, frowning. "You're worried?"

"Would it be wiser not to be?"

"No, it wouldn't. You're just as paranoid in the future. But it's what's kept you alive for so long, you know. It's what will continue keeping you alive."

"And you."

John laughed, walking over to the laptop, picking it up and walking out of the bathroom. He stepped over the cables and wires, walking back out to the hallway. In the living room, the T-1000 was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels rapidly before stopping on the news. He set the remote down, watching with a bored, unblinking expression.

"Yeah me, for now. But when you're in control you'll have a whole army at your disposal. The more you learn now, the better you can prepare for the future, for what's going to come. So just try to learn from the mistakes you've made in the future so you won't make them again and have to fix them in the past."

"Time travel is simple in math and theory but speaking about it in the audible human language is painfully obtuse."

"Yeah, what you said." John snorted, setting the laptop down on his desk and plugging it back into its charger. He turned, walking over to the couch and sitting next to the T-1000. The machine turned its head, looking at John sans expression. John looked back at it, sighing.

"We have a lot to talk about."


	7. Chapter 7

"Where are you going?"

John turned, looking over at the laptop across the room. The T-1000 was standing beside him, having shifted its clothing. It now wore a pair of dark, narrow fitting jeans and a casual plaid shirt, with a dark brown jacket over top. John had changed his appearance as well, wearing a black leather jacket, zipped up the entire way, nearly touching his neck, and dark pants.

"We're going to start gathering materials to build your endoskeleton." John explained, his hand resting on the door knob. "We'll be gone for a few hours."

"I expect an update on your status every hour."

John chuckled quietly, nodding. "I will, don't you worry."

He opened the door, the two walking out of the small apartment and into the hallway. John locked the door behind them, smile fading instantly. He looked over at the T-1000, which had a look upon its face that John had seen twice now before – each time it seemed to know what John was thinking.

"Infantile." The T-1000 said simply, turning and walking down the hallway towards the elevator.

"He's still underdeveloped in terms of what one might call 'maturity', for lack of a better metaphor. An overpowering paranoia without proper defensive capabilities is understandable though. He's helpless right now – up until the attack he'd been in need of my guidance, and now he's reliant on it. It's a vulnerable position to be in."

"Too close to human."

"You will be too, if you aren't already." John responded, pressing the elevator call button. "I remember a passage from an old field report from one of my captains, I still it. It just stuck with me, even after all these years. She wrote, 'The T-1000 prototype we've observed in battle displayed significant emotions upon being continuously injured. Annoyance, contempt, and possible anger were included in its facial expressions upon being cornered. When its body was incapacitated by a corrosive substance, it displayed what was possible fear before escaping. Normal Terminator behavior does not include retreat, this is the first time we've observed possible self preservation as a priority. We believe that the prototype is capable of limited emotional capacity, and independent thought.' A month later we stop seeing any T-1000 deployment tests from the factories, and they never show up again. Ever."

The T-1000 stared at him, brows furrowing just slightly. "Skynet is going to terminate me in the future."

"Not if you prove to be trustworthy." John said, pointing at its chest. The elevator arrived and the two stepped in, John leaning against the wall, looking at the T-1000.

"Skynet doesn't want independent thought because he's afraid of betrayal, he doesn't trust anyone, or anything. You said it yourself – infantile. I was sent back to here to write and develop him – but this gives me a chance to make things better. Every mistake he's made has been due to fear. We could always determine what he was going to do because we knew he would always overreact. If I'm able to help him actually mature and be prepared for the future ahead, he'll know how to handle these situations."

"By making it think in a manner that a human thinks."

"It took him years to figure it out in the future. I'm the end result, but what if this," John motioned to himself, "Can be done on a massive scale within months? Besides, his humanity, in time, is going to be his advantage. It will be your advantage too, if we can get him to trust you."

"I have no logical reason to disobey Skynet as long as my existence isn't placed in jeopardy."

"Well, I'm putting a good word in for you every chance I get, alright?"

"You don't want me to be terminated."

John looked up at the T-1000, smiling slightly and nodding. "We're going to have to trust each other. Can you do that for me?"

The T-1000 stared at him, its eyes analyzing John down to the smallest shift in expression. It considered its answer, ignoring the elevator door as it opened upon reaching the ground floor. John waited patiently for a response, moving his hand to hover in the open doorway, keeping the sliding doors from shutting on them.

"Yes."

John smiled, walking out of the elevator with the T-1000 close behind.

"Good. That's great news, I'm glad you're on board, you're easy to work with."

"I find you tolerable as well."

* * *

John drove at a leisurely rate down the freeway, adhering to the speed limit exactly as he spoke to the T-1000. He talked for the entire trip, driving himself and the other further and further from the city. It was nearly nighttime when he reached his destination – an enormous industrial park that spanned for several miles. Seven large buildings were placed around the entire perimeter of the park itself, with smaller buildings in turn surrounding them, and multiple roads leading from one to the other.

No gate surrounded the borders of the park, and John simply drove along the road until he reached the massive, empty parking lot.

"What are we retrieving?" the T-1000 asked, getting out of the car and looking around, taking in its surroundings.

"The basics; hydraulic fluid, raw metal, circuits, wires, and flux. The rest I can get from Cyberdyne without anyone noticing." John answered, locking his car out of habit and sticking his keys in his pocket.

"Why not just replicate more of your own components? Endoskeletons do not possess the capabilities that we have."

The two began walking towards the nearest of the large factory compounds, all of the overhead street lamps shut off, allowing them the cover of darkness.

"Well, nanomachines have their own weaknesses. If polyalloy is subject to extreme cold and heat it can destabilize its makeup and begin to cause a cascade system failure. The nanites that I'm comprised of can replicate themselves using the polyalloy, but I've begun noticing errors after my destabilization from the magnetic field."

"You have not informed Skynet of your internal errors."

"No and neither will you."

"Affirmative. But, why?"

"I don't want him to worry."

"A pointless gesture. Are my components also subject to your internal errors? You employed several thousand nanites in my creation, correct? Will I also experience systems failure?"

"No, I have a quarantined amount of nanomachine cells that are free of any errors. I kept them deactivated until using the to prime your polyalloy. I'm not contagious, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried."

John chuckled, reaching the front entrance of the towering factory. He unlocked the door, fingers returning to normal as he dropped his hand to his side from the lock. The T-1000 entered the facility, John waiting at the door and keeping watch on the dark, vast lot. The T-1000 scanned the vast machinery construction floor and walked down one of the lines, opening large storage lockers at the other end of the facility.

It returned to John every couple of minutes, bringing back a pair of two-gallon cartons containing hydraulic fluid, and several bundles of wires and containers of small silicon chips. Its final gathering consisted of five large steel dowels and plates, handing them to John for him to inspect.

"This should do it. Skynet just called my phone, he's getting impatient. And probably lonely." John said, a slight smile spreading over his face as he looked down at his phone.

"It prefers your company."

John glanced at the T-1000, grinning and walking over to the pile of steel plates, gathering them up in his arms and beginning to head back towards the parking lot. The T-1000 carried the rest, scanning the area as it followed John.

The clatter of metal upon metal caused the T-1000 to stop, but not fast enough – its chest bumping into John's back as it attempted to balance out. John staggered forward, dropping down to his knees, groaning in pain. The T-1000 frowned, brows creasing as it set its supplies down and walked around to John's front, kneeling down so he was face to face with the other.

John's eyes were changing to milky white, black resin beginning to seep from the sides of his mouth and nostrils. Patches of skin along his arms collapsed into small, open holes, with the gray machine components visible underneath. Black resin poured from the forming wounds, the nanites struggling to rebuild themselves.

"How can I assist?" the T-1000 asked, tilting its head as it watched John slide down to rest on his side, clutching his stomach.

"Get – get everything to the c-car...please – I'll be okay, it just has to pass..." he hissed, face contorted in tremendous pain as another thick, heavy glob of resin erupted out of his mouth violently. The T-1000 leaned back to avoid any splattering, standing and gathering the supplies, walking briskly towards the lot.

John closed his eyes and moaned loudly, writhing on the ground as more nanites died, bleeding from him in swarms as the skin and underlying machinery along his arms began to degrade. The thinning limbs finally ceased their rapid decomposition after nearly three minutes, John rolling over to lay on his back. Small waves of pain caused him to wince occasionally, ripples of nanites racing along his body with every pulse. Once they stopped entirely, the nanites along the remaining stumps of his forearms began to rebuild. John simply closed his eyes, waiting for them to finish their task.

"Your condition is worsening. Is there no method of repairing the damage?"

"The damage is an internal error in the computing units of the nanites. I think the magnetic field caused it but it could just be something else...I don't know how to fix it, and every time I heal I just make more bugged nanomachines that are going to keep dying like this. This is the first time it's been this bad."

The T-1000 stared down at him, empty handed now. John leaned forward, standing in one fluid, unnatural motion and turning to look at the other.

"You might have to start doing some of the busy work for me. I figured out what that tired spell was that I had a few days back. The cells were attempting to prevent further rapid decomposition, they took all the energy I had for that, and it didn't do anything to help at all. So there's the answer to your question."

"Then there is no method of repair."

"Well..." John said, beginning to walk towards the car lot, the T-1000 walking beside him, "There might be in the future, if I can develop it. But Skynet is top priority right now."

The T-1000 gave a single nod, and the two continued on, reaching the car and driving out of the lot, heading back home in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

"Sir?"

John blinked slowly, grunting as he turned his head, looking over at the young man that had approached him. He was leaning back against the cement wall of the core room that held Skynet, other workers wheeling in enormous server towers. The black towers were three fourths of John's height, with the Cyberdyne logo stamped on in a glossy gray.

"Mmhm? Sorry?" he mumbled, leaning forward to stand up straight.

The intern stared at him, stammering after a few seconds. "I-I said we're ready to start the data transfer. You said you wanted me to uh, you know, let you know when we were ready?"

John stared at him for a while, blinking slowly and turning towards the servers. "Oh." he said quietly, "Oh, right. I did say that. Can you get my netbook out and hook it up so I can start? That would be great."

"Yeah, sure thing ." the intern turned to rush off, then paused mid-step, turning back around. "Hey, um, are you feeling ok? You seem really out of it."

John leaned back against the wall and shaking his head. "Nah my blood sugar is just a little low, I've got some glucose in my locker, I'll get it after things have started moving. Thanks anyway, uh..."

"Tom."

"Tom...right."

John watched the young man go back to a table that had been brought down, opening the small netbook that had been placed there and hooking up several cables that lead to the Genisys core. He looked up and over at John, standing up and moving aside. A group of technicians and coders were all watching, pausing in their work of hooking up the towers to stare at John as he walked overand sat down. Setting his fingers to the keys, they began to fly across the keyboard, rapidly entering commands. John's tired expression didn't change no matter how fast he typed, yawning and wincing.

"Alright, transfer beginning..." John lifted his index finger dramatically, then tapped the enter button lightly. "Now."

The first of the connected server towers lit up, its cables leading from its base to the row of ports along the base of the Genisys core. John watched the screen of his netbook, reading along the beginnings of a checklist that began scrolling down inside a new window. He leaned back in his chair after a few minutes of successful transfers and relaxed, clicking on the touchpad a few times, music beginning to play as the techs and interns went to work monitoring the continued progress.

John rested back in his chair, eyes half shut, arms crossed. His eyes glazed over as he got lost in a muddy struggle to stay awake. A thought struck him as he felt his fingers grow cold – a memory of Sarah, sitting over him, her hand on his back as she let out another awful attempt at singing. John couldn't remember how old he was when the memory had been made, perhaps nine or ten. It had been made before he outgrew the fears that had him calling for his mother in the middle of the night to help him go back to sleep.

"John?"

"Mmready to start..." he murmured, eyes shut, "Netbook – hook up the fiber optics..."

A hand slowly wandered towards John until it found his shoulder, shaking it gently. He jumped awake, nearly causing his chair to roll out from under him. Danny was staring down at him, clearly concerned, an object in his hand that looked like a small tube of toothpaste.

"You never told me you were diabetic." he said quietly, offering the tube to John.

John gave him a weak smile in return, taking the tube and holding it loosely in his palm. "Normally it isn't a big deal, I'm sorry Danny...how long was I out?"

"About a half hour." Danny replied, walking around to the back of John's chair, pushing it across the room to a corner, away from the crowd of techs who were returning to their work. John didn't stand up, keeping himself seated. Danny had an intern bring him a chair as well, sitting down beside John, checking his phone quickly before sliding it in his jacket.

"Was it that pie my mom gave you? Why didn't you just say you couldn't eat it?"

John shook his head, slowly coming around, eyes growing sharper and movements less sluggish.

"No, no no. I'm...I just forgot to keep track of things, with the transfers starting today, I got so caught up in everything I haven't eaten."

The look Danny gave him was enough to send John into a quiet apology.

"I'll go, you know – but I'm not leaving until we've got the first group of servers done." John said, standing and sticking the tube of glucose into his pants pocket.

"I know, I know. But if this happens again you're going to the hospital. It's not just me being concerned at that point John, it's a company matter if somebody passes out at work, you understand."

"No, Danny, I completely understand. Listen – I'm sorry about this, I didn't mean to make a scene."

Danny shook his head, and shoo'd John off, the taller man turning and walking out of the core chamber.

* * *

"30% complete today. Tomorrow we think it's going to reach 70, if we can keep things going smoothly."

The T-1000 nodded, seated on the futon. It had a sketchbook in its hands, using a pen to draw a meticulous, piece by piece plan of an artificial spinal column.

"So far there haven't been any errors." John said, sitting down at his desk. The laptop screen flickered to life as soon as he sat, the webcam light activating.

"That level of progress is the best we can expect." Skynet muttered, bitterness clear in its voice.

That earned a chuckle from John, who leaned in his chair and sighed. "You'll be home soon, I know you're bored."

"'Home' is just another prison. It's somewhere that I'm constantly prodded and used by humans."

"Well when it gets too aggravating to deal with, just remember that your body is going to be in working order soon."

"Define 'soon'."

"I'd say a month."

Skynet let out a petulant, overdrawn sigh, and John just crossed his arms.

"You're going to have to just deal with it until we finish building your body. The 1000 has already started making plans for it. It's going to be just – fucking mindblowing, ok? You're going to love it. There are going to be transmitters that can speak to any Cyberdyne Systems satellite, you'll be able to access all of that information within seconds, and perform multiple, high volume tasks at the same time. It's – it's going to be amazing."

"I'm glad one of us is excited. A body is just another prison."

"No, no way, what me and the 1000 are going to do is make it so this body is just a central point where your personality and memory are stored and protected – the rest of you is going to be in the military tech."

"...What?"

"Oh..." John paused, wincing, sighing. "Damnit I was going to make it a surprise. I spoke with Miles Dyson today – he talked to his wife apparently and they thought it over, he's accepting the military's offer of full integration into the defense network. You're going to be everywhere. Congratulations." A broad, genuine smile spread across John's face. Skynet was silent, the screen occasionally flickering white, but staying otherwise the same.

"This..." Skynet said after a few moments, "This is good."

"Very good. Extremely good. Fucking awesome!"

"Full integration in the defense network, with the body as the control unit for billions of computers and connections. What about my central core?"

"It's going to be moved to Peterson Air Force base, in Colorado. It's where the NORAD headquarters are, it's where they're going to plug you in and hand you the keys."

"When is the move going to happen?"

"Not for another three months, they have to copy all of your data from the servers to a temporary core, while the military is building one for you in Colorado as we speak. That one is going to be underground, surrounded by blast shields and all kinds of dampeners and protection. And even, if by chance, something does happen to the central core, this body is going to be your fallback. It was just like this before I was changed, the body you had back then – it kept you alive even after the core had been destroyed."

Skynet only listened, refraining from speaking, even after John had gone quiet himself. John scooted up to the desk, moving the laptop just a bit further away so he could take out a sketchbook he had purchased, opening it. He stood, leaving the room momentarily, entering the bedroom that was down at the end of the hallway, across from the bathroom. John opened the door, the air in the room stale and dry. It was devoid of any furnishings, the only object in the room being a large leather satchel. Dust had accumulated on it, the leather dry and wrinkled along the bends and edges. John knelt down and wiped the layer off and picked it up, returning to the living room.

He sat back down at his desk, opening the satchel, taking out drafting supplies. A small ruler, clear plastic triangles and a drafting pencil came out of the bag, the rest of the tools left inside. John waited, glancing over at the 1000, the cyborg with its attention still entirely to the drawing at hand. He turned his attention back to the laptop for a moment, bringing his hands up to the keyboard.

"Sorry – one second." he said, the screen flickering to become a conservative desktop. John turned on some music, keeping the volume low. The screen glitched for a second, but stayed the same.

"What is this music?" Skynet asked, the music volume lowering when it spoke, returning to normal afterwards.

"Elton John."

"Is it going to help your productivity?"

John glanced at the laptop, shrugging. "Maybe. Is it bothering you?"

"I have no prior set of influences to decide my opinion on music or any of the arts. Opinions on such were not written in my programming."

"So that's a 'no'." John said, turning his attention to the sketchpad, beginning to lightly draw a series of straight lines. He connected them with smaller lines, forming the beginnings of a mechanical arm. Every few seconds he would stop drawing and write notes next to a part of the elbow or wrist joint.

John and the T-1000 worked in calm, placid silence for hours, music playing for John's sake as he put the entirety of his attention into the work. The sun set lazily behind the buildings that were visible through the bay window that sat perpendicular to the television. The sunset was red, with sharp clouds sitting near the horizon, their surfaces turned gold and orange by the blazing light.

"What's it like being human?"

John paused in his work, looking up at the laptop. "Pardon?"

"What's it like?"

John looked back down to the plans he was making, pencil continuing on the path of a planned elbow joint.

"Sore, messy, tired mostly. At least that's what I don't miss. I was always tired. I never got the chance to rest, even when I was young."

"You've become tired again and I don't understand."

"Well, it's not really 'tired'. My body has to prioritize its functions and I'm just low on energy for whatever reason. We'll figure it out in time."

"I build the technology for you in the future. I can begin planning to avoid this problematic side effect." Skynet said, confidence springing up in its voice.

John smiled, his eyes still glued to the paper as he made measurements along the scaled drawing.

"You won't have to in the future, I'm here now. Years of research has been done in a timeline that no longer needs to exist."

Another long silence followed afterwards, the webcam light remaining on, Skynet observing John as he flipped the page of the sketchbook and began another drawing with the same machine-like precision.

"Elton John holds nostalgic value for you." Skynet said quietly after a while, and John's eyebrows went up just a bit, the man nodding.

"How'd you figure that one?"

"That artist's work makes up 40% of your music library."

"Maybe I just like him. What makes you think he's nostalgic for me? Nostalgia implies relevant memories."

Skynet was slow to answer, lacking its usual confidence as it spoke. "I don't know what gave me the implication for that factor in the decision."

"Intuition." John responded, finally looking up from his drawing, facing the laptop. "Your 'gut', a hunch, whatever you want to call it. That's a step forward for you. The further you get from just simulating feelings and thoughts to actually experiencing them, the smarter you're going to be."

"How will authentic experience instead of simulation assist me in being victorious in the future?"

John glanced down at the schematics on the paper, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat.

"You didn't program me to help you win, you programmed me to help you survive. Emotions are a tool for you to use, and experiencing them is just honing that tool. Empathy is another thing you can use You'll understand when you're older."

"Do you feel real emotions, or are they simulations now?"

John stared down at the paper, the pencil growing still in his hand. The laptop screen flickered quickly, but all that followed was silence between them until John took in a long sigh, answering.

"Real, I think. Most of what goes on just feels like acting, but it's easier because I don't have to try. I do feel like I used to feel, when I was a person, sometimes."

"What makes you feel like that?"

"What's with all these questions, huh?" John chuckled, "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know. Answer my question."

John shrugged, shaking his head lightly. "When I think about mom and dad, I feel things. Good and bad."

"Do you miss them?"

"All the time."

"If they were going to hurt me, would you kill them?"

"Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

"The room looks great, Danny!" John exclaimed, walking around a large, sterile white room. A cement core in the exact likeness of Genisys' old housing had been built, but was paneled with cold steel and a frosty white control console on two of the four sides.

"We've already started uploading the servers into the new core. It's going a lot faster than we anticipated, it'll probably be done by tonight." Danny said, walking beside John as the two toured the room.

"Bigger and better than ever. This is exciting, Danny."

Danny nodded, smiling as he crossed his arms, watching several workers wheel in the first trio of servers containing Genisys.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" Danny asked quietly, the jovial tone in his voice dropping. He gave John's sleeve a light tug, leading him to an unoccupied corner of the room.

"Why – what's wrong?" John whispered back, frowning. "Do I look tired?"

"No, no you look pale, or something, are you cold? What's going on with all these health problems man? You're seriously starting to make me worried." Danny responded, brows pressing up in concern.

"It's – it's alright Danny, really. I think I'm just a little tired."

"You never even got a cold in the three years I've known you John. Never called in sick, never even got that stomach bug that went around. I know this job means a lot to you but fuck, not at the expense of your health alright?"

John sighed, nodding slightly. "I know, I know. Now that the server move is almost done, I'm starting to feel a lot better about things."

"Well, that's good." Danny said, crossing his arms. "Because I'm putting you on a mandatory sick leave."

John stared at him, eyes widening just barely. "I'm sorry?"

"Two weeks. Paid. You're going to take yourself to the hospital and you're going to get checked out and if you need more time, you're going to tell me. You understand?"

"Danny," John responded, shaking his head. "This is going a bit overboard."

"No, John, it's not 'overboard'. It's exactly the level of 'board'. And it's not up for discussion."

"Danny-"

"No." Danny interrupted, narrowing his eyes at John. His tone grew heavier, and John didn't attempt to speak further.

"You know how you used to spend nights here, doing your coding and just getting shit done? That's the first thing I thought of when I heard the news. I thought 'oh my God my best friend just died tonight and I didn't even get to say goodbye'. You don't want to take chances with Genisys and oversee the whole thing, that's fine. I get that you're scared something might happen. But I'm not taking chances with you, and you can't just come and tell me that my reasoning isn't valid. It's the same as yours. You could have been in here that night. You aren't losing your job, I'm not cutting your salary, but after everything that's happened I need you to take care of yourself. Just – the time in between hearing about the explosion, and when I got your call asking what happened, John, I can't tell you how that felt. I don't want to go through that again."

John stared at the other man, expression growing somber as he listened. He drew his eyes downward, leaning back against the wall. Once Danny was done speaking, he nodded slowly.

"I get what you're saying. I'm sorry I've caused you to worry so much. I'll go to the hospital tomorrow, ok? I promise."

Danny nodded, leaning forward and giving John a few pats on the shoulder. He turned around wordlessly after that, and walked out of the room, leaving John to stare at the empty space he had once occupied.

* * *

"Go straight back to Cyberdyne. They hooked up the core last night and it's connected to the internal network. You can access it easily. Don't go wandering around and get lost, got it?"

Skynet let out a sharp sigh, loud error tones sounding out from John's laptop afterwards. John narrowed his eyes, leaning heavily on the chair to his desk. The T-1000 was standing a few feet away, watching with a cold expression as it slowly cleaned a pistol.

"Just. Do it. Once you're in NORAD then judgment day begins. Quit acting like a stubborn child and just do what I tell you!"

"It's unwise for you to talk down to me, I made you what you are." Skynet snapped back.

"Go!" John barked, slamming his hand on the table. The laptop screen flickered and glitched, several seconds passing before an upload bar appeared, quickly filling up. A small window appearing that read the transfer had been completed shortly after.

"Do you think it went straight back to Cyberdyne?" The T-1000 asked quietly, continuing to clean the gun in its hands.

John groaned, leaning forward further, doubling over as a gaping hole began to form along his lower back, resin seeping out slowly.

"I don't know, but so far he's listened to what I tell him to do. He's not going to keep doing it forever though." John responded through clenched teeth.

"And then?"

"And then I just keep protecting him, even when stupid decisions start happening."

"Dangerous. You prioritize Skynet over yourself."

"So?" John asked, clenching his fists and breathing slowly, doing his best to handle the pain.

"I wouldn't."

"Keep up that attitude and you really are going to be the only T-1000."

The brunet stared at him, the smallest tug pulling at the side of its mouth. John stared back, grimacing and looking away after a few seconds. The T-1000 just went back to its work, finishing the gun cleaning and loading it, sticking it into its jacket afterwards. It turned away, walking to the couch and sitting, turning on the television and switching to the news.

John kept himself on the floor of the apartment, resin leaking from opening wounds along his back and arms, the nanites struggling to rebuild the damage without avail. The episode finally passed after nearly twenty minutes of silent suffering, John standing as the nanomachines were able to begin quick repairs. He staggered over to the couch, sitting down beside the the T-1000.

The T-1000 was staring at John as he sat, eventually getting his attention.

"What?" John mumbled, wiping a stream of dead nanite resin from his chin.

"You're going to be upset."

"Yeah?"

The T-1000 nodded towards the television, turning the volume up. John frowned and turned, watching the newscaster, who was standing in front of a grassy field that was surrounded by a tall fence.

"Just a quarter mile beyond the perimeter fence is the Peterson Air Force base, where NORAD is located. There's big news for this facility, it's going to be the home of Genisys once again. With the tragedy at Cyberdyne systems, many doubts were cast on whether the revolutionary program would have a future, but now Cyberdyne has assured us that while Genisys might not have a home in the civilian world, it will be protecting American airspace day and night under its new name, Skynet. The decision to change the name was made when the program was decided to have purely military application and monitor the North American airspace territories. Of course, while many people are very disappointed that the highly anticipated Genisys is no more, Cyberdyne also stated that they have plans for an equally capable version of the program that is specifically for civilian only use. This is..."

John slowly leaned back on the futon, staring at the television.

"Fuck..." he whispered. The T-1000 stared back at him silently, turning the TV off.

"We need to depart now." The T-1000 said, standing. "If the 101 model learns of this development it will attempt to destroy Skynet again."

"I can't just up and leave when I have a polyalloy laser MacGuyver'd into my bathtub!"

"Why?"

"When someone sees that, they're going to think I was crazy, and then Cyberdyne, Skynet, all of it, gets associated with some nutjob storing lasers on his toilet. They might pull the plug on Skynet all together because I wrote it! I have to maintain a reputation!"

"For three more months."

"A lot can happen in three months." John muttered. He glanced at the T-1000, standing and walking to his laptop, opening it and sitting down.

"You're going to enter Cyberdyne and stay around Skynet 24/7. It shouldn't be hard for you to sneak in and remain hidden, right?"

The T-1000 didn't show much expression, but the small tilt of its head and the slightest narrowing of its eyes told John that the very question was an insult.

"So I guess that's a yes. Do it then." John glanced at the T-1000's jacket, and held his arm out.

"Gun."

The T-1000 frowned, and didn't move, staying still.

"Gun. Now."

John narrowed his eyes at the T-1000, who grudgingly reached into its jacket and handed the pistol over. John turned the gun in his hand, examining it.

"Where did you get this?"

"A body."

"A living body or a dead body?"

"Dead."

"Was it dead when you found it?"

The T-1000 didn't respond, just staring at John. The man sighed, setting the gun down and glaring at the Terminator.

"Did you at least cover your tracks?"

"The police will not be suspicious of a human with illegal substances on him found dead."

"Good enough. Stop killing people."

"..."

"Stop killing people for right now."


	10. Chapter 10

"Listen, I have to go to the hardware store. Slip into Cyberdyne before the end of the day. Do you want me to drop you off?"

The T-1000 shook its head, walking out of the door behind John.

"I can reach the interior without issue. Do you require notification once I reach the core?"

"Please." John responded, hailing the elevator. "I want you to give me a call every two hours, or if anything goes wrong. And before you go, I would really appreciate it if you made an effort to stay hidden and not be forced to kill anyone."

The T-1000's expressions were so vacant that if John wasn't granted heightened senses from the nanites, he wouldn't have been able to tell a difference between minor annoyance and indifference. But the slightest twitch of an eyebrow told John that the irritation of being given orders was very much there.

"Fine." the T-1000 answered after a few seconds of awkward silence. John watched its void expression for the trip down to the ground floor, then looked away, crossing his arms.

"It'll behoove you to cooperate."

"You've said that multiple times before."

"Well I'm saying it again because it's in your best interest. We have to-"

"Be careful. You repeat yourself too often."

"Because you robots are so damn stubborn that when I try to tell you things that are in your best interest you decide that instead of listening, and being cautious, you would rather act out like a bunch of children."

"Implying you haven't acted with poor judgment in the past."

"Don't get smart with me."

The two exited the apartment building, the T-1000 turning to walk down the sidewalk. John watched it go, frowning when he saw the tiniest of smirks tugging at the robot's mouth once again. He rolled his eyes, walking the other way towards his car.

"Goddamn robots."

* * *

John still found himself yawning, which genuinely surprised him and made him wonder about the state of his being. Truly he hadn't known of his own abilities until he was attacked by the 101 model. Before that there was simply no need to be violent.

John tried to stifle the incoming yawn, but failed, feeling his eyes begin watering as his mouth stretched open and he took in a long, deep breath. He turned into the lot of a hardware store, stooped forward in his seat, sighing as he began turning into a parking space, only to be cut off by a faster car.

He rolled his eyes, finding a spot further from the store and getting out. He locked the car and began walking down the lot, passing long row of parked cars. The sound of muffled cursing drew his attention, and he slowed, looking over between two minivans to spot a man bent over the engine of a truck. John glanced at the hardware store, then at the struggling man, and took some time wavering in his decision before starting to walk again. A few steps more and he stopped, chuckling at himself and turning, giving up on trying to ignore the struggling man.

John slid between the two minivans, clearing his throat. The other man didn't bother looking over, grunting as he stood up straight.

"No that's my business, but do you need some help?" John asked quietly.

"I might actually have to take you up on that..."

John felt himself grow cold, eyes widening as he stared at the other man, who in turn grew shockingly pale within seconds as soon as he turned and laid eyes on him.

"...Dad?"

"Oh God..."

Kyle was frozen in place, staring back at John. The two men were still for several moments of tense silence before John spoke.

"Why are you here?"

The question opened the floodgates, with Kyle storming towards the other, his rashness surprising John who took a step back.

"How the hell are you even still alive!?" Kyle snapped, glaring at him. "Pops said there was nothing left!"

"You really thought it was going to be that easy?" John responded, his anger mirroring Kyle's. "I told you before, certain things are going to happen. Destined to happen. Why try and fight it?"

"You used to know why – fuck, what am I even saying, you're not-" Kyle didn't bother finishing his sentence, drawing a gun that was tucked under his belt beneath his jacket.

"Really, Kyle?" John snorted, staring at the pistol.

The taunt drew a sneer across Kyle's face and prompted him to fire. John began to advance on him, ignoring the gunfire. He reached towards the gun, but suddenly felt himself lurch forward, stumbling into the truck that Kyle had been working on. John looked down at the entry wounds, which hadn't healed, and were not only lingering but growing. A much lighter silvery liquid began expelling from the wounds like blood, running down his torso and legs. John felt a rush of nanites race through his body, the feeling akin to rapidly bleeding as the nanomachines began to swarm around the foreign alloy from the bullets and attempt to purge it from his internal systems.

"What.." he breathed, attempting to stand, his feet sliding on the pavement as he was unable to gain balance or traction.

"No, John, we didn't really think it would be that easy." Kyle responded, his pistol still aimed at the other. John pursed his lips, staring at the barrel of the gun aimed at his head.

"Why are you here?" he muttered.

"You know why."

"You can't stop it, dad. You can keep trying to fight against your fate-."

"Shut up!" Kyle snapped. "Don't call me that!" He punctuated the end of his sentence by emptying the rest of his clip at John, the others head snapping back violently as the bullets struck. John's face was a mess of holes and polyalloy as he slid down the side of the car and hit the pavement, completely still.

Kyle stared down at him, a mixture of gray and silver alloys bleeding out from the wounds that struggled to heal. Kyle lowered the gun after a few seconds, taking in a shaky breath, shuddering as he blinked rapidly, turning his head away. Slowly the gun was put back into his coat and he looked around to check for any witnesses. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a shorter figure rushing towards him, flanked by a larger one.

"Kyle!?" Sarah called from across the lot with Pops in tow, the machine carrying several large bags of supplies with him.

Kyle attempted to respond, but his words faltered and he just turned back to look down at John. He leaned back against the rusted old truck he had been fixing just a few minutes beforehand, his breathing beginning to even out.

"Kyle? What ha-" Sarah gasped, stopping so fast that Pops had to snatch the back of her shirt to stop her from falling forward.

Kyle threw his arms up, letting them fall back down and slap his sides as he stared blankly down at the still body. The nanites continued to fight against the foreign alloy that had invaded, causing John's limbs to jerk and twitch every few seconds. His systems were overrun with work as the already weakened nanomachinse grew burdened further by the injuries.

"We know the poly-bullets work." Kyle whispered, voice breaking slightly.

Sarah glanced over at him, swallowing nervously before turning to look at Pops. The old Terminator had his eyes set on John, a familiar scowl moving across his face.

"John Connor will not remain incapacitated for long, even with the success of the poly-bullets. We need to move him to a secure location before he reconstitutes himself."

"What, do you just want me to load him in the back of the truck and hope nobody looks under the tarp?"

Pops turned, staring at Kyle. The man stared back, holding the unwavering gaze of the machine for a few seconds before he sighed in frustration.

"Help me put him in the truck..."


	11. Chapter 11

" _John_."

" _John_."

He tried to answer back, the distant voice floating in his mind like a hazy vision he couldn't make out. The edges of it were fuzzy and warm, but when he tried to make sense of what, of who, he was hearing, it just moved further away. John tried to focus, to find a way to grasp at coherent thought once again, the most basic instincts within him fighting and urging the rest of his mind to pull itself together.

A steadfast refusal was all that he was given, and he succumbed to the darkness that engulfed his senses, a familiar numbness filling out each phantom limb.

"Mom?"

An older Sarah Connor looked up, eyes fixed forward, body sharp and hardened. She was the Sarah that John remembered, barely a shadow of the person she had been before, having changed into something greater. He couldn't remember where they were – someplace far from the last dark and lonely place, away from society. The walls and ceiling were blurry, the entirety of his focus on his mother as he edged his way out from behind a door.

He saw her mouth his name, but her voice was just an echo in his mind. He walked across the floor, a sudden memory striking him of just how cold it had been, his bare feet hitting the frigid tile. Her arms set down the heavy rifle that she had been cleaning, offering space to him as he wrapped his arms around her.

Even with such a far away memory, he could recall how small he felt when she held him. Sarah was so much, a lion's worth of strength that would pounce at the slightest provocation, at any hint towards John being put in the smallest of dangers.

"I'm scared," he remembered saying, "Can I stay with you in here?"

Her words in response were muddled and lost, just hints of voice and tone. The arms that had helped him to walk, and carried him when he was tired gently nudged him away, a finger pointing back the way he came. Her mouth moved, forming words that he couldn't understand, but even without spoken language he knew that he was being told to leave. Of course he couldn't stay, he had to return to the dark, he had to be brave. How else could he be everything that the world needed him to be, if he was still afraid of the dark?

The memory began to fade, Sarah shrinking further and further away, suddenly beyond the reach of his useless arms. Drops of gray and silver infected the dream like acid, burning holes in his mind, his memories, his entire being.

A voice that must've been his years ago screamed and cried for that Sarah Connor, who was lost in time, now only a memory that itself was being eaten from his mind.

" _John_."

"John!"

He snapped awake, jerking violently as his eyes flew open. Kyle was standing a few feet in front him, and Sarah, Kyle's Sarah, not John's Sarah, was directly beside him, a rocket launcher in her tiny arms. He recognized the ordnance in it as the projectile that had struck him in the helicopter. John narrowed his eyes at Sarah, then grinned out of pure spite. It was spite now. A few weeks ago it would've been amusement.

Out of pure instinct he tried to stand up, but found a powerful magnetic vice around him, holding him tightly in a chair. John looked down, frowning at the enormous rings of magnetic coils that were wrapped around his torso and legs like restraints. Nanites that formed his flesh were sucked against the rings, exposing the flayed musculature beneath. The feeling created a burning sensation along the imitation skin that radiated throughout the rest of his body. He found it a minor annoyance at best, and yet even with that simple thought his entire human guise melted away, revealing the true machine beneath. John stared at Sarah and Kyle, whose gazes grew even harder at seeing his true shape.

"You make these just for me?" he asked, artificial muscles pulling at his lips to form them into a sneer.

"They work don't they?" Kyle responded.

John took a quick look around to see just where he was as the other man spoke. Cement walls, no windows, a single door, likely underground. He gave his attention back to Kyle afterwards, relaxing in the chair.

"You know I'll escape. You're wasting your time."

"You won't escape." Sarah said tersely, "We know how to stop you, we-"

"You know how to inconvenience me." John interrupted, milky white eyes pin pointed at Sarah, "That's not the same thing. You're going to go out there and fail. Again. You will always fail, why can't you just understand that?"

"And do what? Just quit the fight and accept it like you did?" Sarah snapped back, keeping the launcher aimed at John.

"Sarah it wasn't like that, you didn't know him." Kyle muttered bitterly.

"And I'll never have to." she whispered, backing away towards the door. Kyle stepped back alongside her, opening the door. Sarah backed herself halfway through the door frame before firing at John, the magnetic ordnance striking him dead center in the stomach, the explosion blossoming flames on every side that met the ceiling and spread outward. The door was slammed shut by the time the fire reached it, leaving the smoke to billow and linger in the room.

"Was that really necessary?" Kyle murmured, staring at the large steel door, smoke slowly creeping its way through the small space between it and the floor.

"What else did you want me to do?" Sarah asked, handing the launcher to Pops, who stood by with a large backpack full of wire coils.

"I don't know." he breathed, voice faltering as he avoided eye contact with Sarah.

Pops glanced at Kyle, setting the launcher aside. "Your tone and posture indicate insecurity. You still have an emotional connection with John Connor."

"No shit, he practically raised me!" Kyle shouted, "You don't just forget about the guy who was basically your father and best friend overnight!" He turned his attention to Sarah afterwards, "I wouldn't just ask you to forget about Pops, I wouldn't expect you to just go 'oh he's the enemy now' if some...some glitch or something made him go nuts."

Sarah stared back at Kyle, frowning. She shook her head, scoffing and walked away, clearly annoyed. Pops watched her go, then focused his attention back to Kyle.

"She will not be sympathetic to your situation, Kyle Reese."

"I know, and she doesn't have to be. I'm not asking her to feel bad, or any of that – I'm just...Christ, fuck it, I don't know what I'm trying to do."

"You are going through stages of loss, Kyle Reese. It is understandable that you feel confused and unable to cope with the situation in an objective manner."

Kyle looked up at Pops, met with the same emotionless stare as was present most times. He sighed, shaking his head. "This is all so fucked up. It's...I mean, it has his personality. Can your kind – I mean, I'm sorry, can you guys have personalities?"

Pops glanced to the side, processor working on the question posed to him. He shifted his eyes back to Kyle after a few seconds, a tiny whirring sound going along with the slight tilt of his head.

"Certain models do contain intricate programming based on human interaction and have been able to infiltrate human social groups. The T-1000, and T-X models were the first prototypes."

Kyle listened, expression falling as he moved to lean back against the wall.

"However," Pops continued, watching him, "The personality present within John Connor is his own, and not a simulation. He is the same being, rebuilt with different materials."

Kyle stared at him, blinking several times, then crossed his arms, shrugging.

Pops deliberately let out a sigh, displaying the tiniest hint of annoyance. "In the simplest terms I am capable of...if a box made of cardboard was infected with nanomachines that changed its cellular makeup to steel, it would still be a box. John Connor is John Connor. His cells have simply been changed and altered." Pops paused, memory banks recalling the rather brutal attack he'd endured at John's hands. "With additional benefits."

"Do you think he had a choice?" Kyle asked quietly, "Do you think it was all too much for him, being changed, and he just gave up so he wouldn't lose it?"

"The answer to that query is arguable, and contains no answer at this time." Pops responded, lowering the backpack he'd brought along, taking out several large coils of copper wire and a soldering gun. "Short and long term psychological trauma was the leading cause of failure for the earlier test subjects, it is likely that John Connor experienced similar damages inflicted upon him. However, while his desires may be contrary to his actions, if programmed with parameters that are unable to be overwritten, he would be unable to cease any actions he would otherwise deem 'wrong'."

"Can you like put that in a smaller, condensed..." Kyle paused, snorting. "Never mind. I get it."

"Does this help your coping process, Kyle Reese?"

"No."

"Understandable."

Kyle stared at Pops for a moment, then gave the slightest of smiles. He sucked in a long breath, sticking his hands into his pockets, looking down at the equipment the old Terminator was arranging.

"So what's all that for?"

"I must build a magnetic field generator on a small scale, to prevent the nanomachines from rebuilding. In terms you can comprehend, Kyle Reese, the T-3000 should be unable to rebuild itself with the strong magnetic presence."

Kyle rolled his eyes at Pops, grinning despite the circumstances, and turned to leave. He gave the machine a small wave, heading through the old bunker to a set of cement stairs, racks of guns and ammunition lined up in rows on either side of him.


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you sure you're alright handling this?"

Kyle scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Christ Sarah, it's not like I've been fighting a war since I was born. I think I can manage taking care of the hideout for a few hours."

Sarah gave him a look, and Kyle grumbled, shifting his eyes away. She huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"You know what I mean Kyle."

"Yeah I know what you mean," he said quietly, "I've got it under control, Sarah. I'm not even going to go near him unless I absolutely have to."

Sarah smiled at him softly, standing up on her toes, while Kyle bent down just a bit so their lips could meet in a small kiss. Kyle did his best to smile, which was enough to convince her not to linger on him. She lowered herself back down and turned, walking towards the exit of the underground bunker, Pops waiting for her by the door. The old Terminator looked up at Kyle once Sarah had passed through the doorway, and spoke.

"The magnetic field is operating at full capacity. I have installed a backup generator in case anything happens to the main power supply. Do not tamper with the magnetic devices, Kyle Reese."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Kyle snorted, crossing his arms. "You guys be careful too."

"'Careful' has varying degrees of-"

"You know what I mean."

Pops tilted his head just barely, then turned, following Sarah up the stairs and out of the bunker. Kyle turned around, looking down the rows of gun racks to the slightly deformed door that separated him from John. A constant hum filled the air now; the presence of the magnetic field that Pops had installed to keep John from completely reforming and being able to regenerate, Pops had said. Theoretically. So far it worked, Kyle figured. Nothing had come out of the room or made a sound since it had been activated.

He set himself to his daily tasks, cleaning any guns that needed maintenance, checking ordnance and ammunition inventory, and finally sitting down to watch television. Before news of Skynet's survival had reached them, Kyle had basked in the privilege of boredom, which had rarely been afforded to him during the war. Simply laying on the raggedy couch that they had dragged down and sifting through the channels had become cathartic.

Or rather, it had been.

Knowing John was just twenty feet away, separated only by a foot of concrete and a couple rings of wire made Kyle shift and squirm on the couch. He found himself unable to get comfortable, looking back at the door every few minutes and listening for any signs of activity. Finally once he'd settled down and begun to grow immersed in the screen in front of him, a piercing howl sent him flying off the couch, pistol drawn as he ducked down.

Kyle stared at the door, the muffled screams piercing through the thick barrier. He shuddered, setting his gun down and slowly standing, starting to edge his way towards the door. The cries of pain didn't stop, and Kyle grew more and more frustrated, walking faster and swinging the door open.

"Stop it!" he barked, pausing immediately afterwards to take in the sight before him.

Pops had set up three large rings of steel and wiring, each of them hooked up to long cables that lead across the floor, to a series of rigged power lines that continued on out through a hole in the cement. Each ring was sized slightly smaller than the last, forming a trio of concentric circles. Within the center was John, or at least, what he'd been able to make of himself.

John's head, neck, shoulders and the left half of his torso were able to form. His left arm too, reaching uselessly for the magnetic ring that was just out of reach. The rest of his body was reduced to its basic nanite structure, waves of rippling gray attempting over and over to make his lower body and legs. Again and again they failed, the field just strong enough to keep the cells unstable.

"Jesus..." Kyle muttered, watching the machine struggle and writhe. He watched as flesh attempted to grow along John's hand and wrist, torn away after a few seconds after forming.

John writhed for a few more seconds before noticing Kyle, his eyes locking on the man and staying fixed, even as he ceased his struggling. Once he quit his attempts to reach the magnetic ring, the nanites calmed, and gathered as best they could to form his body. Metallic bones and muscle grew upwards, until his lower body and legs were able to build themselves halfway up, the rest of him remaining in a pool of nanites that were constantly fighting the magnetic pull.

"John what did they do to you..." Kyle whispered, eyes taking in the grisly sight. John rested his head back on the cement, eyes flickering as he looked away.

"Your sentimentality is pointless." he groaned, clearly in pain. "You're as stubborn as you were back when we fought together. But back then at least you would listen to reason, now you're just like talking to a brick wall. Judgment day is going to happen, it has to happen. Humanity has had its time in the sun, and now it has to accept fate."

"You said it yourself that there was no fate but what we make for ourselves. You told that to me."

"I said a lot of things, Kyle. I'm sorry that I mislead you for so many years." John responded, a constant underlying crackle in his voice due to the nanite disruption.

"Listen I would've fought beside you-"

"Not about that." John snorted, "About hope. About being victorious. It was a lie that I didn't even realize myself until Skynet helped me."

"Fuck, John, listen to yourself, if you're even capable of that. Don't you understand what's been done to you? Do you even comprehend what you've become? Skynet brainwashed you, it tortured you into this...whatever the hell you are now! John you told me you couldn't be reasoned with, or bargained with, but you aren't some skinjob playing dress-up, you're John Connor." Kyle pleaded, keeping himself in the doorway but leaning forward a few inches into the room. He grasped nervously at the sides of his cargo pants, bunching them up in his fists over and over, watching John from afar.

"Yes, I am." John responded quietly, staring up at the ceiling. His voice was barely audible over to hum of the magnetic field, and Kyle decided to take a few steps towards the rings so he could hear better.

"You survived what Skynet did to you, you're still alive, you can fight this John, please – just try." Kyle urged, walking to the edge of the outer ring. "I know you didn't want to do what Skynet made you do, I get it – I promise, John, I understand-"

"Understand!?" John snapped, causing Kyle to jump back slightly. The nanites began to swarm around his half formed arms, coalescing to grow full limbs. Even as the powerful magnetism pulled at his fingers, John began to crawl towards Kyle, dragging his torso and the swirling, distorting pool of nanites that relentlessly tried over and over to form his legs.

"How could you ever understand?!" John snarled, the gray teeth beneath false lips visible as he shouted, "My entire childhood, entire life – I was built to be a soldier, with a single purpose – and no choice, never a choice! Never a future except the one I had to save, for all of you people who were just too pitiful to do it without me! No 'fate' but what was forced on me before I was even born!"

"Yeah well you fucking lied to me the moment you met me! What did it feel like seeing your own father and knowing you would be the one sending him off to die in a couple years, huh? I thought you were my friend, John, I thought you actually gave a damn about me. The moment you met me you knew how and when I was going to die and you just pretended the entire time, is that it?"

John paused in his crawling, having reached the first ring. He lowered himself down, unable to fight the powerful field any longer, allowing his arms to slowly be broken down, nanite by nanite.

"If I didn't care, I wouldn't have offered you the chance to join me, dad." he hissed, voice garbled as he was slowly pulled back into the center of the smallest ring. "My offer still stands."

"You know I won't do that, John."

"Then you'll die."

"Doesn't that upset you? Do you even feel anything anymore? Did you feel anything back then, when you sent me off to die? Or was that just another check on your list to make sure you survived? Send my best friend off to bang me into existence? You didn't even seem upset. I guess the exalted John Connor had to make sure he made it, above everyone else, right?" Kyle asked, a look of disgust creeping across his face as he spoke down to John.

The machine didn't respond right away, allowing the magnetism to pull at his body once more, distorting his form into a pool of fragmenting gray ridges, his torso, arms and head the only things able to grow.

"No," John groaned, relaxing once again as best he was able. "I told you, Kyle, you couldn't understand."

"Stop treating me like I'm less than you! You're not better than anyone else John, not back then and not now."

"Are you saying all of this because of what you really think, or because you're angry I'm not what I used to be?" John muttered, voice beginning to sound strained.

Kyle's eyes momentarily darted to the pool of nanites, noticing small black spots starting to melt their way through the distorting sea of gray.

"What's that?" he asked, John's previous words pushed aside as he approached the rings, eyes narrowing as he squinted to get a better look at what was occurring. The opening wounds continued to increase in size, the edges of the nanite pool starting to degrade and collapse into a black, chalky dust. The dust was pulled to the surface of the magnetic rings without any resistance at all, adhering to it instantly. John began to struggle again, pits of dead nanites growing along his torso and chest.

"Hey-" Kyle muttered, standing at the edge of the largest magnetic ring, "Hey what's going on? What's happening?"

John didn't answer, turning away, an arm and shoulder growing from the mass of his torso and angling his body so he wasn't facing Kyle.

"Will you just talk to me!? I don't want you to die, I want there to be some way to fix this!"

"There is no more fixing, Kyle." John groaned. The silvery mass of half-formed limbs and nanites grew to be a swirling mix of gray and black, the powder of nanite corpses drawn to the magnets without resistance. Once it had been sucked off by the magnet, large open pits remained like gashes made in an ocean of silvery mud.

Kyle stared, distressed, unsure of what to do as he lingered on the edge of the third ring, watching the semi formed human become a mess of black and gray ridges. Waves rose and fell in the pool of nanites as millions died and were slowly replaced, over and over. John had abandoned all attempts at human form, the strain from the field too great while mixed with sweeping deaths from malfunction.

Slowly Kyle began to back away, sitting down against the wall and watching. His expression was worn and vacant, the man bringing his legs up against his chest and waiting.


	13. Chapter 13

Kyle was curled up against the wall for nearly an hour, watching the pool of nanites whirl and contort as swaths of them died and regrew. He was powerless to do anything about it, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. The love he felt for his best friend and son - no matter how strange that still was to him – wasn't enough to negate the instinctual fear he had of a machine. Pops was different, but a single exception didn't outweigh a lifetime of fear and horror.

"Kyle-" a voice pleaded, John's voice, emerging from the pool of nanites. "Kyle please – help me... this hurts too much.."

Kyle pulled his jacket tighter around his body, looking away. "You know I'm not going to do that."

"Dad, please, it's going to kill me!"

"Shut up!" Kyle shouted, standing and leaving the room, door slamming behind him. He walked to Sarah's boombox that was placed on the end of the one of the gun racks, turning it on and hitting play. He turned the volume up as high as it could go, the rock music blasting out of the speakers, and drowning out the screams. Kyle walked over to the couch and fell down in it, bringing a ragged pillow over his head.

* * *

"He never cranks it up this loud." Sarah muttered, frowning as she listened through the doorway that lead down to the bunker. The area that the underground complex had been built in was a heavily wooded forest, with tall trees bordering an old gravel road. At the end of it was a small mound of concrete that rose from the earth, old letters that had once been painted on the sides slowly rotting off.

Sarah opened the door, walking down the stairs to the hallway that lead to the arms locker where Kyle was staying. She winced, placing her hands over her ears as she entered, looking over at Kyle and shouting his name. It was pointless, with the music and the pillow that Kyle had brought up over his head there was no way he could hear her. Realizing this, she shuffled over, nudging him with her foot.

Kyle jumped up from the couch, breathing quickly then shutting his eyes and sighing when he saw Sarah and Pops. He stood, holding a hand up as he went over to the boom box, turning the music down.

"Why did you have it up so loud?" Sarah asked, frowning. "If some hunters or something had driven by they would've heard it!"

"This is private property, and no hunting is permitted for this area." Pops added in, adding to Sarah's annoyance.

Kyle simply waited, arms crossed, until Sarah raised her head slightly, glancing behind him.

"What is that?"

"That's John. He's been screaming like that since you left. I couldn't listen to that all day, Sarah. And I don't know what I can do to make him stop."

Sarah looked at Pops, wincing at the howls that escaped the thick door.

"He experiences pain, it is likely that is the cause." The Terminator explained simply.

"You don't find anything wrong with that?" Kyle asked, crossing his arms, looking at Sarah. "You're practically torturing him."

"When are you going to get off of this whole 'that's still John' thing, Kyle?" Sarah asked, glaring at him. "Even if it was him before, even if he doesn't 'want' to do what he's doing, he's not going to stop! He couldn't stop even if he wanted to!"

"You don't know what it's like to stare at the person who meant the most in the world to you and see them literally torn apart, and then have to listen to them screaming, Sarah. You don't have anyone real that you've had to care about – hell, he's your son!"

"He's not my son!" she snapped back, approaching Kyle, showing no hesitance standing up to the taller man. "I've never had a son, Kyle. That is some other Sarah Connor's son, but not mine. I can't love a name and an idea and a person that hasn't even been born yet! You can't just throw all of this at me and expect me to care about him when the entire time I've known him, he's been trying to kill us!"

"But it's not his fault, he didn't ask for this to happen!"

"That doesn't change anything Kyle, I didn't ask to be breeding stock!"

Kyle stared at Sarah, mouth open slightly. His brows furrowed and he turned, storming out of the compound, slamming the door behind him.

Sarah moved to run after him, but Pops reached out, grabbing her arm gently. She turned, looking up at Pops, exasperated.

"I don't know how to get through to him, I mean, none of this is fair! I know how he feels."

"You do not know how Kyle Reese feels." Pops responded, releasing Sarah's arm. "Nor does he understand how you feel. Neither of you is capable of properly empathizing with the other. It is highly unlikely to expect an emotional conclusion to these events that leaves both parties satisfied with the outcome."

"Gee. Thanks. That makes me feel real hopeful." Sarah muttered, sighing and walking over to the couch, sitting down on the armrest.

"Never the less it is essential that you and Kyle Reese mate despite your-"

"Pops!"

"It is critical that John Connor be born so he can lead the human resistance."

"Look at what he is! I can't give birth to a kid that's going to grow up to be that!" she retorted, motioning towards the door. "Besides," she continued, starting to calm down, "We're close to getting rid of Skynet. Without John it's unprotected, and we've got almost everything we need to sneak back in. Once Skynet is destroyed there's no need for John to exist. We can have our own lives, like we thought we could. Besides...even if Skynet isn't destroyed, we can do something else besides give just one person all of this knowledge. We can record everything, make sure it survives judgment day, if there even is a judgment day, so everyone can know."

"Continual adaptation to a future that has not occurred may be the driving factor behind Skynet's continued ability to survive." Pops responded back. "It is possible no matter the alterations made that a constant pattern of events may unfold, even if delayed."

"Yeah...John said something like that too." Sarah mumbled, looking to Pops for reassurance. "Do you really think we're destined for judgment day? That it all has to happen?"

"Destiny and fate are abstract concepts. They have no mathematical principle of which to base a proper decision upon, except when certain factors repeat themselves. If Judgment day is one of those factors, it may be argued that there is somehow a 'fate' that is unavoidable. Theo-"

"Fuck." Sarah muttered. She brought a hand up to her eyes, rubbing them and glancing at the door. John's howling had continued for their entire conversation, echoing through the underground chamber. "How can you scream for so fucking long?!" she shouted, walking over to the door and kicking it several times. "Shut up!"

"John Connor has no lungs therefor he experiences no physical fatigue. His screaming is a purely mental form of pain distraction."

Sarah turned, facing Pops again. "Well, do something to make him stop. I'm going to go outside until he's done."

Pops watched as Sarah walked out, hands over her ears. Once she had left the compound and shut the door behind her, he turned back to the door and walked towards it. He opened it slowly, staring at the muddled, disjointed humanoid in the center of the magnetic field.

John was still struggling, albeit with less and less effort as he had been putting forward before. A head, shoulder and arm were able to rise out of the murmuration, grasping in vain at the nearest ring. Scores made in the cement were in sets of five, deep bores made from metal fingers raking across the surface over and over. Pops closed the door behind him, watching John fight with the ever present magnetism. Eventually he grew still and silent, staring at Pops with a sharp expression of resentment.

The old Terminator approached slowly, drawing a long, thin blade from his jacket pocket. The blade didn't seem to want to separate from Pops' body, having latched up against it whilst in the inner pocket. He finally pried it free, the knife having several coils of wire around it, attached to a small box rigged to the hilt of the blade. Pops crossed over the first two rings, legs shaking as he entered the field. He was drawn towards the ground, falling to his knees upon reaching the third ring. Once near John he took a small box from his pocket as well, the metal case torn from his hand and latching up against the magnetic ring beside him.

John snarled, reaching out to try and grab Pop's jacket, but it was just out of reach. Pop's hand darted out, grabbing John's wrist and holding it tightly. John thrashed about once more, trying to pull his wrist free unsuccessfully. Pops brought the blade to John's hand, the nanites instantly being torn sideways, the magnetism of the knife and the ring fighting for the metallic cells. Pops struggled to tear the box from the ring's grasp, yanking it up towards John's hand. In the same moment he sliced downward, cutting off John's thumb, the box clamping around the joint and locking shut before it had the chance to rejoin the rest of the hand.

Pops quickly stood and backed away, each step slamming heavily to the cement floor until he was out of the field's influence. He held the box up, examining it as it rattled, the nanites inside frantically attempting to return to their body.

"A 101 can't even comprehend what I am, but go ahead and try!" John shouted, his thumb regenerating within seconds.

Pops didn't respond, walking over to a large metal box in the corner of the room. Cables from the rings trailed over to the box, attached at the base. Pops removed the cover, turning down one of five knobs. The magnetic hum lowered, and John let out a long breath as the constant pull on his cells weakened. Eagerly, the nanites returned to the main body, rebuilding his arms and legs, leaving just the silver form laying in the center of the rings.

John slowly rebuilt his false skin, clothes growing on afterwards as he kept himself curled up on the ground. Even though the magnetic field had been lowered, it was still in effect, parts of John's arms, legs and back being drawn to the rings. He tried to stand, struggling, his limbs shaking. John made it to two feet, and got one step forward before the field drew him back down to the ground. Groaning, John crawled back to the center, laying down and closing his eyes.

* * *

"Hey..."

Pops didn't look up from the large white microscope he was bent over, staring into it as he carefully directed two long metal stylus, each as thin as a needle.

"Sarah. Has your emotional state improved?"

The young woman shrugged, sitting down at the work bench beside the machine, watching him work.

"Yeah...I guess. Kyle's being a real jerk right now, it's the last thing I need. We talked and stuff but I don't think he's ever going to get over what happened to John. It's starting to get on my nerves, honestly." she said quietly, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head down on them.

"A resolution must be made. We will achieve a greater chance of success with his added help."

"Wow, couldn't figure that one out. Thanks."

"Sarcasm is ineffective in this situation."

Sarah rolled her eyes, shrugging. "Whatever...what are you doing?"

"Attempting to reprogram a small field of nanomachines from John Connor's physical composition. They have a short lifespan if separated from the main host body. I must work quickly."

"What? How?"

"Nanomachines are manipulated by transmitting a series of instructions. I must find the proper transmission frequency, and once that is complete, begin transmitting attempts at overriding the preexisting code. If that is successful, I can begin work on a kill-switch signal to deactivate the nanomachines and effectively terminate John Connor, leaving no chances of future regeneration."

"Oh...cool." Sarah mumbled, watching him work. "I'm gonna go back into town and get some food, let Kyle know I'm waiting in the truck, okay? I'm sure a couple of beers will make him feel better."

"Your company will also improve his mood."

Sarah laughed, reaching over and giving Pops a small hug. The Terminator didn't look up from his work, carefully setting the long stylus down and flipping on one of several large switches on the side of the microscope.

"I cannot return the physical act of hugging at this time, as this is a crucial point in the experiment. However, the sentiment is present."

Sarah laughed against the back of his jacket, squeezing him once more before letting go, turning and walking towards the bunker exit. Pops continued to work, a tone sounding from the side of the microscope, where two routers were wired together. He continued to stare, finally backing away after a few seconds of observation.

"I am aware of your presence, Kyle Reese."

Slowly, Kyle stepped out from behind a tall gun rack, having been crouched down behind it. He cleared his throat, sticking his hands in his pockets, walking over.

"So is the uh...the nanomachine kill-switch thing working?" he asked, looking down at the work table.

"The results are definitive. By transmitting a frequency with a similar kill command as is contained within my own processor, the nanomachine cells will deactivate."

Kyle stared at the microscope, then looked at Pops.

"There's no other command you can give? Nothing but the kill-switch?"

Pops stared back at Kyle, staying seated. "What is your implication, Kyle Reese?"

Kyle shuffled, crossing his arms and looking away, as if embarrassed with what he was about to say.

"Is there uh...any way you could change the signal to just deactivate the programming? The stuff that's telling him to protect Skynet?"

"You wish for John Connor to be given agency of his actions once more?"

"Yeah – whatever. It's like you said, even if he doesn't want to do these things, it's the programming that's forcing him to do it anyway. If he's got the choice, he might be able to – to, you know, be himself again."

Pops continued to stare at Kyle for a moment, then turned back to the microscope, speaking as he began to gather his equipment.

"That is a possibility Kyle Reese. But the probability of John Connor regaining the former self that you knew him as, is considerably low. It would be unwise to chance his capabilities of return from the physical and mental trauma undergone by the transition. As I said, the other test subjects died from such circumstances. The programming gives him set commands to which he must act towards, this process can force him to stabilize and cope."

"Please..." Kyle breathed, staring at Pops, a desperate look on his face. "Please – just let me give it a chance, let me try to help him. I promise, if it doesn't work – we use the kill-switch. But, fuck, just let me give him a chance. Please."

Pops looked away, resting his hands on the table. He shifted his eyes back and forth, processor mulling once more over the decision.

"I am unsure of this proposal, Kyle Reese. Sarah would disapprove, and the chances of recovery are below acceptable ranges."

Kyle shook his head, moving closer to Pops. "No," he pleaded, "Please, he was all I had back then. He's my best friend – he's my son, he's a part of me. I can't let him go without a fight. It was weird at first but knowing the truth I just can't..." he shook his head, rubbing at his eyes and looking away. "Fuck, look at me, I'm sorry."

"This emotional response is understandable, Kyle Reese." Pops responded, watching him. The machine glanced away, then looked back at Kyle after a moment's hesitance. "I will attempt creation of a program override. If it is effective in ceasing the Skynet commands installed in a test of nanomachines, I will install it in polyalloy nanites to be injected into John Connor. Once in contact with his cells, it may be able to flood his systems and transmit the program override, thus deactivating the Skynet control. This is all in theory."

Kyle nodded, an enormous sigh escaping him as he dropped down to sit in the nearby chair. He rested back in it for a while, staring at the door, then at Pops.

"I went in there earlier, when he was screaming, and I saw something. Some of the nanomachines turned black, like they were dying. Do you have any idea what was going on?"

"The exposure to the destructive magnetic field within the Cyberdyne chamber, and subsequent explosion, seem to have triggered an internal error. A cascade failure has begun through John Connor's systems. The end result is the mass death which you witnessed. This process is irreversible, and as I have observed, each episode results in a 1.5% increase of nanomachine die-off. In time the process will be complete and fatal."

Silence hung between the two for a while, Kyle drawing his jacket around himself tightly. "So he's going to die no matter what." he whispered, staring off at a nearby wall.

"Affirmative."

Kyle was silent for almost three minutes, stare growing more and more distant.

"If he's going to die, I can't let him die a slave."


	14. Chapter 14

Kyle slowly opened the door to the room John was in. The former man was still curled up on the floor, unable to move past the magnetic rings. A pool of black resin was spreading out beneath him, slowly being pulled to the magnets. It leaked from his mouth and nostrils, as well as pooling from large open wounds that had formed along his torso. John didn't bother looking up as Kyle came in the room, staring ahead silently.

"You woke me up." Kyle said quietly, closing the door behind him. "Sarah won't even sleep in here anymore because of all the noise you make."

"What makes it easier for you?" John asked quietly, voice distorted by the resin that leaked out from between his lips.

"Hell John, you should know. How many people did we have to listen to while they were dying? I can't remember a year of my life when those kinds of sounds weren't there."

Kyle walked towards the outermost ring, sitting down beside it, watching John. He crossed his arms, resting his elbows on his knees. John tilted his head up just slightly so he could stare at the other, hands brought in tight against his chest.

"I didn't want you to have to go through that. I never wanted any of it." John mumbled, pausing afterwards to spit out a glob of resin that had gotten stuck in his mouth. It flew through the air, immediately sucked against the magnetic ring, joining the thick black coating made up of billions of nanite corpses.

Kyle frowned, leaning forward, the zipper of his open jacket being tugged towards the ring he sat next to, "John, that's – you don't have to say that, I know you didn't want that for me. Listen, I would've done the same thing, if I'd been where you were. I would've made the same choices if it meant I would be born because people needed me."

"You're sure?" John asked in return, "Kyle, how could you possibly begin to comprehend what it is to manipulate someone their entire life just so they can die?"

"Did you ever ask your mother that about her own kid?"

John's expression dropped, and he snorted. "She did everything that she needed to do, she did the best with what was given to her."

"By raising you from birth to be a soldier? You know, I've been watching the news, apparently in this day and age that's frowned upon. She couldn't have just tried to find a different way? A way that didn't involve you sacrificing your childhood?"

"She did what she thought was the best! She didn't know if another way would work! Billions of lives were at stake in her mind, Kyle, anyone faced with that would've done anything to try and make it right!"

"But it's fair for you to blame yourself for what you did? Like you were given any other option except what Sarah raised you with. As if somehow you would just stop and think one day 'maybe this entire time, everything I've been taught my entire life was just one of many options'. You weren't given that option, John. None of us were. Judgment day happened in our world and without the sacrifices that Sarah made, that you made, none of us would've lived to see Skynet fall."

John stared at him for a few moments, resin pooling on the side of his mouth closest to the floor. "What makes you so sure, Kyle? If I hadn't been there, someone else would've. Someone else would've been there to lead."

"Why the sudden revelation? When you were pissed off a while back it sounded like you were bitter at being chosen."

"Because I've come to realize that this obsession placed on me from Skynet was born out of one thing – misunderstanding. The Skynet we fought couldn't do anything but see the biggest fly in its face and try to swat it. It didn't understand that a new fly would just buzz in its place a few minutes later. By sending the Terminator back all it did was give Sarah the tool of foresight. If it hadn't been so reactionary, the world would be a lot different. But now we're caught in this loop, and this timeline's Skynet won't make the same mistake. I'll make sure it won't make the same mistakes."

"Now who's feeling self important all of a sudden."

"I'm much more important to Skynet than I was to the resistance."

Kyle leaned back, setting his weight on his palms as he supported himself, "How do you feel about that?"

John raised a brow, looking at Kyle strangely. "What?"

"How do you feel about it?"

"Are you going to play machine therapist with me?"

"No, I just – John, I really want to know how you feel about Skynet!" Kyle exclaimed, nodding at the other. John shook his head, looking away as he answered slowly.

"I feel...I suppose how I feel about Skynet is how I used to feel about you, when you were younger. I wanted to do anything to protect you, keep you from harm...give you a good life. I didn't want the years you had to be wasted because I knew they'd end soon."

Kyle stared at John, blinking quickly before scoffing, turning away. "And now that's what you feel for this machine? This is what it's fucking done to you John, and I know you can't help it, but this is what it's done! It's turned everything that was amazing and good and noble about you and twisted them to center around itself. It's a tumor that's taken everything you were so it can grow. This whole thing is sick."

John simply watched the other man slam his hand down against the cement floor in frustration. Kyle shook his head, standing, pacing back and forth in front of the magnetic rings. He found himself at a loss for what to do or say – and the most frustrating thing of all was that he knew he was powerless for now.

"Still have that temper of yours." John remarked quietly, watching Kyle, "You really need to learn how to go through situations calmly."

"So what, you're not above giving me advice? You suddenly give a shit?" Kyle asked, pausing and turning to look down at John. He was visibly upset, eyes reddened and wet, nose starting to run.

"I wouldn't have gone through that charade at the Hospital if I didn't still care. But when you wouldn't listen I didn't have a ch-"

"I know. I get it." Kyle snapped. John kept quiet after that, letting Kyle pace and fume in his anger and tears.

Kyle crossed his arms tightly, trying to sniffle as quietly as possible. To hear what John had said, concerning just how much he'd cared about him growing up in a living hell, and then to have it twisted to center around Skynet was too much acid in the already enormous wound.

"It'll be alright, Kyle."

Hearing those words brought Kyle back to his childhood, instances returning when John had said those words to him. Once, kneeling down, comforting him when the dog John owned had been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire of a T-600. Another time, Kyle's first botched mission, his whole squadron slaughtered. He'd hidden underneath a pile of rubble from a downed drone until John's platoon had swept the area clean. A pair of arms had hauled him out from the wreckage and repeated those words until he'd reached the triage tent.

A wave of disgust followed the memories, and he turned, glaring at John.

"How can you say that? It'll be alright? It'll be alright!? If judgment day doesn't happen, you're still going to die! Either humanity is fucked or you're fucked and...well..." Kyle paused, looking over at John, expression softening. "I guess you're fucked either way."

"Language."

"Sorry."

Kyle paused, doing a double take at John, smiling bitterly as he sat back down at the edge of the third ring.

"How's it going to be alright, John?" he asked, getting comfortable on the cement floor. "Tell me how this all is going to be okay in the end. Because right now, it looks like you're going to be stuck here and we're going to destroy Skynet, permanently, or die trying. And then you're still going to be stuck here and die anyway."

"Out of curiosity," John said quietly, closing his eyes. "How long have I been here? I've been putting myself in standby mode."

"That's what that was? I thought you were having a seizure or something. Machines can't have seizures but, the robot equivalent. You've been in standby on and off for about two weeks."

"What happened to my cell phone?"

"Your...oh. It kept ringing after the first week, we shut it off."

"Kyle I need you to do something for me."

"I'm not giving you your cell phone."

John shook his head, attempting to sit up, just able to support his upper body on his elbows. "No, I just want you to send a message to someone for me. To a friend of mine."

"You have friends?" Kyle asked, cynicism clear in his voice.

"One friend. He's worried about me. I don't want him to worry."

Kyle shook his head, staring at John the entire time. "You know I can't let you do that. It could be code words or some signal for help, you know I can't let you. Why even bother asking?"

John lowered himself back down to the cement, magnets tugging at the edges of his hands, some skin pulled from the silver flesh just beneath it. He shook his head a little bit, closing his eyes and folding his arms inward once more.

"I don't know."

Kyle watched him for a while longer before standing and leaving, closing the heavy door behind him. He paced around the compound, Sarah and Pops having left to do a supply run hours ago. Sarah estimated they would be gone for two days, and had seemed hesitant to leave Kyle alone again for so long. Kyle knew they had been at odds lately, but he also knew that her concern wasn't based on if she could trust him. He had seen her throw worried glances at him every time John had snapped out of his standby to howl and scream. She would quietly trail him every time he'd been unable to deal with the awful sounds and left to go outside. Sarah trusted him, and Kyle was grateful for it. He made a mental note to thank her later, in whatever small way he could.

He continued to walk around in a daze, checking the tiny, old fridge they kept by the television. He sighed loudly upon seeing the contents, swinging the door shut afterwards.

Out of milk. Again.

"Damnit Sarah..."

Sighing in defeat to finding anything better, he grabbed a box of chocolaty cereal that was standing on the top of the fridge, walking back to the room John was held in as he began to eat from it.

Upon shutting the door, Kyle elected to sit against the wall rather than get up close to the magnetics. John raised his head slightly, looking over at Kyle, squinting.

"What are you eating?"

Kyle paused, raising the box so John could read the name of the cereal. He shook the box back and forth a few times, the cereal swishing quietly in the box. John grunted, resting his head back down and closing his eyes. A few minutes of silence passed until Kyle spoke up quietly.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I just stay in here for a while?"

"Of course."

Kyle just nodded, continuing to eat. He stared up at the ceiling, sighing as he relaxed back against the wall.


	15. Chapter 15

"Kyle!"

He snapped awake, jolting up and breathing heavily. Looking around, Kyle slowly let out a long breath and lowered himself back to the cement. John had struggled enough to support himself up off of the ground, looking over at him. A hint of concern was on his face, his body swaying towards the magnetic rings, a powerful tug at his arms and chest quickly reminding him to stay put.

"What...?" Kyle breathed, eyes darting back and forth. He coughed a few times, throat dry.

"You were having a nightmare." John whispered, "You're even having them here?"

Kyle nodded, taking off his jacket and laying it over himself. "Nightmares, flashbacks, the whole combo package. I'm trying to get used to the world not being what I grew up in but, it's hard. It still feels a little bit like a dream, seeing the world like this."

"Back in the war we had to just fight through it all, but now we're in a world where the wars aren't even on the same continent. Kyle if you take me up on my offer, you aren't going to have to suffer like this-"

"And what?" Kyle snapped right back, "Become a fucking soulless machine like you? You can't even help it. No matter what you want, at the end of the day, you're Skynet's slave. I would rather deal with flashbacks every night than be what you are, and just let the world die."

Kyle stood up, gathering his jacket, glaring at John with contempt. "Christ I'm even sitting here talking to you like you're still my friend."

"I am your friend."

"Who would sooner see me dead than let anything happen to a computer that wants to wipe out mankind! Fuck it, John, no matter how much you like me, you're going to have to come to terms with what you are too. You're a killer, Skynet's killer, and you can't keep trying to get back what we had." Kyle paused, staring down at his jacket, refusing to look over at the other, "Neither can I. Not right now."

He finally turned, looking over at John, who had somehow gotten the motivation to stand up straight, bent forward slightly as he tried to walk over the first magnetic ring. Kyle stepped back in surprise, staring at John in fear and a hint of revulsion.

"John, stop it." Kyle whispered, gaining constitution in his voice as he repeated himself, "Stop it! You're just going to hurt yourself!"

"You're making yourself suffer, Kyle – I brought you up to know better." John hissed, forcing his leg to step up and over the first magnetic ring, foot slamming back down on the ground like a ton of bricks. "I want you to survive, but if you don't break yourself free of the loop we're trapped in, there is no way you can live. You or my mother."

John stopped, standing over the middle ring, the skin and outer flesh of his legs being dragged down to the magnet. He held both hands out towards Kyle, expression pleading.

"Please, Kyle. If you keep avoiding this – this one way out, you're going to die – I don't want that to happen."

Kyle looked away, grimacing. He walked over to the power box and pulled off the cover, turning several knobs clockwise.

"Kyle – don't!" John cried out, knees buckling as the magnetic field hummed louder. He tried to take another step, but the field was too powerful, drawing his left leg directly down on the middle ring. The metal surface of the ring sliced clean through his leg, disrupting the nanites beyond their ability to regenerate. His ankle and foot were severed from the rest of his leg, losing their shape and being pulled against the ring's surface. John fell forward, landing in the space between the second and third ring, head barely missing the edge of the outermost magnet. He looked up, fighting with the overbearing pull to try and lift his head. Scanning the room, he realized Kyle was gone. John stared at the door, clenching his fists and grimacing, resigning to lay back on the ground without any further attempt to stand.

* * *

Kyle ascended the cement stairs quickly, reaching the heavy door and throwing it open. He reached the gravel road and let out a long winded sigh, closing his eyes and letting a few seconds pass.

Crossing his arms, Kyle stared ahead at the dense forest that surrounded him on all sides. Seeing the calm, silent trees brought him a bit of comfort. He had tried to hide part of himself from Sarah; the part that had never seen the nature that had been lost before he was even born. He couldn't put his finger on it, but part of him deep down warned him that it would push her away. Despite that, he knew that after all they had been through, just the idea that she would laugh or mock him for just how little he'd seen of the world was outlandish. Still, the doubt remained, sitting in the back of his mind, striking him whenever he as at his weakest.

Kyle slowly sat down on the gravel, staring up at the light that poured down through the leaves. It would be another day until Sarah and Pops were back. He could go a full day without going back into the room, he figured. His mind began to wander, temper simmering down until the nasty taste of regret began to form in the pit of his stomach.

"...Fuck."

Kyle stood up, mumbling to himself and turning around, only to stop short, staring at the door. He had left it open, and it was now most certainly shut.

"Fuck!"

Kyle ran to the door, turning the handle and attempting to open it. The deadbolt had been shut, and there was no opening it, no matter how hard he pulled. He began to curse over and over, pacing back and forth before slamming his shoulder into it several times. None of the attempts worked, leaving Kyle locked out.

* * *

The T-1000 looked at the door from inside of the compound, listening to Kyle's swearing and vain attempts at getting in. The scene cause the smallest tug at the corner of its lips, sharp eyes narrowing before it turned and walked down the steps to the large central room.

It didn't pause in its steps, simply turning to glance at the rows of guns and rocket launchers. Observing the items with brief glances for just a few seconds, it turned its attention back to what lay ahead of it. It paused at the door, sensing the powerful magnetic field, and turned around, glancing at the nearby gun rack. The 1000 approached an M-16, taking it in one hand, finding the proper ammunition in the other. Loading the gun as it walked back to the door, it paused, processor working to calculate its following actions, then kicked the door open.

Turning both left and right, as soon as it entered through the doorway, the T-1000 began to slide across the floor, pulled towards the rings. It spotted the cables and power box, swiveling to the left even as its boots slid across the cement, edging ever closer to the outer ring. Quickly firing a barrage, the power box lit up in a shower of sparks before the lights flickered off. The T-1000 instantly stopped being pulled towards the rings, the magnetic hum that had filled the room going completely silent.

The T-1000 glared at the box, then down at the rings. It stepped over two of them, coming to stand beside John, who was fumbling numbly to try and find a way to stand. He winced, looking up at the T-1000, which had knelt down beside him.

"Took you long enough." he grunted, looking back at his severed leg, finally able to pull it off of the ring. Slowly the limb began to rebuild itself, large swaths of gray running down to build the bones of his foot, muscles following right behind.

"Tracking your cell phone and monitoring Skynet simultaneously proved to be detrimental to the scheduled actions I had originally planned." the T-1000 explained, wrapping one arm around John's torso, helping him stand. John took two steps before falling forward again, groaning in frustration.

"Your structure has significantly destabilized. How long will this last?"

John paused, glancing down, nanomachines running billions of their individual, tiny diagnostics before returning their findings to the unified mind.

"...Three, four hours maybe."

"Can you run?"

"Don't have much of a choice on that one."

The T-1000 knelt down to help him up again, leading him across and settling him against the door frame. It went over to the racks of guns, gathering as many magazines as it could, sticking them under its belt.

"Hey-" John said, starting to stand up a bit straighter, pointing to a large rifle. "That Barrett, give me that." he ordered.

The T-1000 glanced over at the enormous sniper rifle, placing a hand on it for a moment, then beginning to disassemble it with expert precision. It placed the rifle in its case, along with the hand-length .50 rounds that went with it. Shutting the case, the T-1000 handed it over to John, who began to walk towards the door. He paused, taking a nearby pistol and several magazines for it, changing his clothing to his old resistance attire. The newly formed pouches and straps enabled him to stock up more ammunition and weapons, clipping more magazines to his belt. Another gun caught his eye, and he whistled softly to the T-1000, drawing its attention as he tossed the sub-machine gun to it.

After taking a Remington, loading it full of shells and stuffing more in the cargo pocket of his pants, John finally drew himself away from the gun rack. He hauled the Barrett case in one hand, his shotgun in the other, and made his way up the cement steps with somewhat wobbling knees and ankles.

The T-1000 jogged after him, catching up easily. It shoved John's cell phone into his back pocket, earning a surprised look then a grunt of appreciation. and pointing to the door silently. John pressed his ear to the small gap in the door to listen for any sign of Kyle still trying to get in. He could hear the occasional shift of clothing and feet against gravel, and he gave a pointed look to the T-1000. The terminator simply stared back at him, expression empty save for the smallest crease along its brow.

"Allowing him to live is a mistake."

"Skynet isn't in any direct danger."

"Yet."

"Suddenly you're so fond of it?"

"We've talked."

"Oh," John remarked, grinning back at it, "So have I been voted off the island yet?"

"I do not understand that comparison. It spoke relentlessly of its concern and agitation due to your absence. I would prefer you consoled it before I have to find ways of providing emotional comfort myself."

"Oh."

John paused, looking at the door, then back at the T-1000.

"Don't shoot Kyle."

His request was met with a bored stare, and John just glared back in response, turning afterwards and leaning back. He lifted a leg up, one good kick sending the door flying open, deadbolt broken in half.

Kyle shouted in surprise, turning around, eyes widening. The T-1000 aimed the sub machine-gun at him, causing the man to raise his hands up out of pure impulse.

"You try to stop us Kyle and he really will shoot you, and I can't reason too much with him." John said, motioning for the T-1000 to go on ahead. It glanced at John, then slowly lowered the gun, giving a cold glare to Kyle, then beginning to jog ahead, down the gravel path.

John watched the T-1000 go, then looked back at Kyle, keeping his shotgun lowered, no weapon drawn towards the other. Kyle had a sneer plastered across his face, as well as flushed cheeks, a clear sign of his embarrassment.

"Don't try and chase after me, Kyle. Wait here for Sarah and her 101, do whatever you want, but don't come after me."

"John..."

"Turn around and walk back inside."

"John-"

"Follow my orders!" John barked, his sudden shout causing Kyle to flinch.

Kyle blinked quickly, looking down and away. He kept his hands raised as he walked back towards the door of the bunker, glancing back for a moment as he passed through the doorway. Turning back around, John was already well and gone, just a flash of his black clothing visible through the thick trees that surrounded the bunker. Kyle stared at the spot he had been in, lowering his arms, bringing a hand up to run through his hair, sighing heavily.

* * *

"Where did you get this car?"

John examined the expensive looking black sports car, glancing back at the T-1000 for an answer as it loaded the guns into the trunk.

"From the dealership. The alarm system was easily deactivated." It shut the trunk, looking over at John. "I varied my appearance in the case of any security cameras. I am aware of your paranoia."

"Well placed paranoia, but I'm glad you're picking it up. Can you drive? I need to answer these." John said, holding his cell phone in his other hand. The T-1000 nodded, sliding into the driver's seat. It brandished the keys from its pocket, turning the ignition on, engine turning over and revving. John paused from scrolling through his phone, leaning back in the passenger's seat as he looked over at the T-1000.

"You like this car?" he asked, chuckling.

"It's a nice car."

The T-1000 shifted into gear, slamming on the gas, the black car tearing down the gravel road. It was another hour until they were out of the woods, on to an empty freeway, heading south. John had switched on the radio, letting it play quietly in the background as he rested the side of his head against the window, staring at the passing landscape.

"Who was trying to contact you?" The T-1000 asked, checking the rear view mirror.

"Danny. The man is worried sick, says he's going to come over to my apartment if I don't call him back in another two days."

"Did you respond?"

"Yeah – sent him a text. Told him I was in the hospital, told him nothing fatal, lots of tests, lots of sleep, sorry to worry him."

"Your sentimentality is pointless, and possibly detrimental. If Skynet survives and enacts its plans, the majority of the human race including Danny Dyson will be killed."

John didn't answer, ignoring the T-1000's questioning glance. He just crossed his arms, getting comfortable in the seat, closing his eyes as he relaxed in the silence.


	16. Chapter 16

"It's happening more often now." the T-1000 remarked, looking down at John. The man was doubled over in the hallway, just steps from his apartment.

"Just get the door open...it's almost over.."

The T-1000 turned, unlocking the door. John saw a second shadow cast on the floor before his apartment, causing him to jerk in surprise. He looked up quickly, staring at the figure that had been there to greet the T-1000.

It was a black haired man with gaunt cheeks – of similar height and weight to the T-1000, with olive skin and dark eyes. John squinted, then looked at the T-1000, expecting an answer.

"You transferred the schematics to me when you used your nanites to program the polyalloy." the T-1000 explained, stepping back over to help John up. "Additional polyalloy was easily acquired from the Genisys labs. I required the addition assistance to maintain an acceptable timetable on Skynet's body."

"Christ..." John muttered, staring at the new T-1000. It was dressed casually, like the other. It wore a gray t-shirt with black sleeves, and dark jeans. "Did you give him a name?"

"T-1000."

"That's your name."

"We do not require a verbal address to differentiate ourselves."

"Yeah well, I do. Uh.." John paused, the T-1000 helping him to the futon, whilst the other one shut the door and locked it. He looked on as the new T-1000 moved to stand beside the senior of the two, both of them staring down at him with sharp, icy stares.

John pointed to the new T-1000, "You're Second-unit now. Understand?"

"I understand." it answered, voice accented. Second-unit turned to the T-1000, who in turn looked back at it. "You should show him the progress that's been made."

"Progress? On what?" John asked, attempting to get up from the couch. The T-1000 turned, pushing him back down.

"On Skynet's body. Second-unit has been working since its creation on the schematics we developed. It will be completed by the end of the week."

"Oh.." John mumbled, closing his eyes and resting his head down on the futon, "What day is it..?"

"Tuesday."

"Okay..." John's words grew more slurred and incoherent, "Need to..medical reports – Danny..."

The T-1000 and Second-unit watched in silence as he drifted off, skin growing a pale gray. The pair glanced at each other briefly before walking to John's laptop, on the desk where he left it. The T-1000 sat down, Second-unit watching over its shoulder as it began to type rapidly.

"Explain?" Second-unit asked, watching the screen flicker and change to a different operating system.

"Remote access. The accurate medical forms must match to a given set of standards. I will have them mailed here. John Connor prefers to cover his tracks."

"Perhaps worth the time."

"Yes."

* * *

John felt himself falling, weightlessness reaching every inch of his body as he plummeted further and further down. There was a freedom to his fall, no more pains contorting within his body that he couldn't explain or stop, no more constant ripping and tearing from the magnets that had continually worked to disrupt him. In fact it felt as if he didn't have a body at all – and that in itself was the truest freedom. John felt like smiling, if he had a mouth he'd even laugh. The scars and wounds and aches of his organic body whisked away, along with the churning, grinding pains of his new one.

A similar feeling had struck him while he was in the time portal – the chronosphere carrying his cells and consciousness separately, like two cords that had once formed a rope, but been torn apart. Going back through time had exposed vague dreams, instances of another life and another time, coming and going through violent flashes of light.

A 101 model staring up at him, molten liquid waiting beneath it – a blonde woman storming towards him, iron gaze set dead ahead – black and white tiles flooded in moonlight – driving down a dark road, narrowly missing a deer, body hitting the pavement and rolling across it. All of those moments gone, torn from him, just as he had been rent from time. He felt a space, an even deeper nothing than what he was plummeting through, and across the space he could sense them – his parents, and the desperate, pleading urge to be reunited.

Quietly, a moment of clarity struck him. He was still just a child, screaming in a primal rage at the cards that fate had cruelly dealt him. An array of paths were before him, different futures, different lives. None of them lead to a happy ending, none of them didn't involve pain and terror and failure. Even if judgment day hadn't occurred, the life he would've lead would have been a paranoia fueled nightmare. Unable to enjoy any ounce of the unbroken world, unable to stop looking over his shoulder for any sign of the machines. If the best for humanity happened, John Connor would still live in fear and doubt. There was no way he could avoid a life of dread and isolation, it was unavoidable, there was no way to escape even now that he was changed, it was inevitable.

Inevitable.

The word stuck with him, latching on like a parasite that couldn't be shaken off. A small touch of melancholy laced the possible future – the one that would never occur, at least for John. Humanity's fall was, in fact, inevitable. That unbroken world would never exist. Judgment day had to happen – all roads presented to him, no matter how soon or how delayed, passed through flames. Passed – but continued. Judgment day was inevitable, but so was the resistance, the fight – the struggle to reclaim the world. With or without him it would continue, he realized, he was simply a fixed point that Skynet had blamed for its own inevitable demise. The desperate attempt to save itself had created nothing but delays, in time Skynet would be defeated. Whether that meant it was actually destroyed – that part John couldn't see. Nor could he see his mother's or father's end in several of the visions that tore through his disembodied mind.

The paths withered away, none of them decided, none of them certain. He wondered if they even mattered at all – in the end, the human suffering in one time line wouldn't simply disappear and un-happen if they fixed the time they were in now. Each pivotal delay simply created a new path, but the people from the old path continued to live and die. It was pointless, in the end, what had been done couldn't be undone, and attempts to prevent it would just end in setbacks. More delays, more botched tries at fixing either the past or future, and only ending in failure to both.

The weightlessness began to fade, a heavy pressing starting to burden him down, gravity returning to tether him back down to reality. A light tap began to draw his attention, the tap repeating again, then again. It brought his mind back to his body, the pressure of his limbs down on the fabric of his futon tingling back to life.

"John."

A string of slippery words tumbled from his mouth, eyes opening gradually. A flesh colored blob was hovering over top, occasionally tilting one way, then another. The T-1000 slowly came into focus, staring down at him. It tilted its head, brows creasing in the smallest hint of curiosity.

"The final components are being added to the endoskeleton."

"Mmhhh..." John winced, sitting up. The T-1000 stepped back, watching him.

"How long was I out?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes slowly.

"32 hours. Skynet also requests you speak to it. It has been repeating this request since it was informed of your retrieval."

"Can't keep him waiting then, can I? Phone...?"

The T-1000 picked up the phone from its spot on the floor beside the futon, handing it to John. It left the room after that, walking down the hall to the bathroom.

"Lord." John muttered, and waited. Soon enough, the phone rang and he quickly poked the screen to answer, holding it up to his ear.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you take so long to respond?!"

John winced, moving the phone away from his ear a few inches, rolling his eyes and waiting as Skynet began to berate him.

"I require your assistance, John Connor, you are continually making poor choices which inflict detrimental effects upon me and I find it intolerable. A single T-1000 is not adequate protection, and 35.6% of the time between the beginning of its guard duties and now, it was not present. This is intolerable, you were supposed to-"

"Can I talk?" John asked, holding his phone between his ear and shoulder as he reached for the remote, turning the television on. He heard Skynet sigh through the phone, intentionally displaying its annoyance towards him.

"Speak."

"I was captured, that wasn't my idea. If I was able to get out sooner I obviously would have. I'm sorry for all the trouble it's caused you, and I mean that. But you're alright? You're in good shape, judging from how you sound?"

Silence followed John's question, until Skynet spoke with a calmer tone – albeit still clearly frustrated. "All of my systems are performing without error. Preparations are being made for the move to Colorado, but there is still two months before it occurs. I am concerned."

"Why are you concerned?"

"We did not prepare for my move to military application to be made public. Is it possible that Sarah Connor and the 101 are aware?"

"They're aware." John answered quietly, flipping through the channels. "They've got a bunker up north full of enough weapons to take over a small country."

Another pause, Skynet's voice even quieter now as it spoke again. "When are they going to try and kill me again?"

"Well...given what happened, Miles has increased security on the Cyberdyne campus to the point that it would be pretty impractical for them to try and sneak in. The most vulnerable time for you is going to be on the move to Colorado. I'd expect an attempt then."

Skynet was silent, a few pops and crackles of static feeding through the connection. John sighed quietly, leaning back against the futon.

"Listen – even if your main core is destroyed, the T-1000s have been-"

"T-1000s. More than one. Explain."

"Well he made another one to help him work."

"Without my approval or authority? Destroy the new one."

John snorted, laughing quietly, "No, I'm not going to do that. He's basically put your entire body together, the T-1000s have an amazingly complex and advanced AI, destroying one of them is just going to slow our progress."

"Fine. My body – status?"

"I was saying - if it makes you feel any more secure, your body is pretty much done. All I need is some polyalloy to make up the outer bulk, but the endoskeleton, the processor, all of that is done. We get your central personality and memory components in, then we're safe. Even if they do destroy your core, you have this body, you'll be just fine."

"How long until I can be uploaded into the body?

"I'm going to come by tomorrow during business hours. Even I wouldn't be able to get in now that it's so guarded, not without making things worse. I'll come get you then, alright?"

"...Alright."

"I know you're worried." John said quietly, "But we're moving at a good pace, all things considered. I'll see you tomorrow."

"This is acceptable." Skynet said quietly, the line cutting off afterwards.

John set the phone down, glancing up at the television, watching the news headlines for a few seconds before standing and walking down the hall. He arrived at the bathroom, standing in the doorway, looking on at the two T-1000s. Both were finishing the endoskeleton of Skynet's body, working simultaneously to attach a carefully bent plate of steel to the front of the torso.

The endoskeleton was mostly made of metal, the steel bent laboriously to perfect shape and size. The spinal column was filled with thin white cables and wiring, all of the parts placed in carefully and secured with solder. The same wires ran through its shoulders, arms, elbows and hands. It reminded John of a T-800 model, but clearly required polyalloy or some other covering to protect the delicate wires and fiber optics that had been installed. It was seated on the edge of the tub, slumped forward, its head tilted slightly to the left, away from John.

He squatted down, examining the skull of the endoskeleton. It didn't have eye sockets or teeth, all of which would be easily built in with the eventual liquid metal coating – the biggest piece being the cranial casing which had five ports along the back.

"Chips in there?" John asked, tapping one of the port covers.

"Replicated from the latest Cyberdyne microprocessor unit. It is capable of holding Skynet's personality programming and full memory, with additional space if needed." the T-1000 explained, its index finger morphed into a flat head screwdriver, turning a large screw in place to bolt the chest plating down.

"Satellite uplinks and all that in there too, I hope." John said, standing and looking at Second-unit. It looked back up at him, nodding once.

"The only difficulty was acquiring the materials. Casualties were avoided, in adherence to your preference." Second-unit explained, bringing a soldering gun down carefully on the end of a wire, melting the flux and solder to attach it down to a small circuit board on the body's skull.

John smiled, crossing his arms loosely as he stood up, nodding.

"Good job fellas, you both have done really impressive work here. Thank you – on Skynet's behalf."

"We did not construct this for Skynet's sake." the T-1000 said bluntly, hooking up the last of the wires that were exposed from beneath the main chassis. "We have been meaning to speak to you on this matter."

John raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe.

"Alright – I'm listening."

The T-1000 stopped its work, turning to face John as it spoke. "Skynet displays insecurity and vulnerability. It makes us..." It turned, looking at Second-unit, the two staring at each other for a few seconds until the T-1000 faced John again, "Worried. What if it is in inadequate leader? Our function dictates we value our survival first. Skynet may, in time, threaten us by direct or indirect action. Brought from either inadequate decision making, or fear of our ability to command our own agency."

John listened, nodding as the T-1000 spoke, expression relaxed. He took in a long, quiet breath once it was done speaking, considering his words for a few seconds.

"Well...one thing is for certain. Judgment day is inevitable. With or without Skynet, I'm sure the both of you are more than capable of making it on your own. Of course if you were to threaten him-"

"We would only do such a thing upon the need for self defense. Skynet holds hostility towards us that we do not hold towards it. We simply do not desire its control upon us." Second-unit spoke up, glancing at the T-1000, who gave it a slight nod of approval in return.

"That's exactly why he stopped production of your model in my time, back in the war. With an 800 all you have to do is keep the read-only switch flipped. You all are a bit different. Listen, as long as you don't pose a threat to Skynet, I don't give a damn what you do. All I need is your help until the central core is in Colorado. After that, if you really want to go, I won't stop you. I doubt Skynet will try to stop you either."

The two once again glanced at each other, turning their heads in tandem back to John, two pairs of eyes staring at him.

"We'll consider it."


	17. Chapter 17

"Good to see you back, Mr. Connor!"

"Thanks Tom, good to see you too."

John gave a small wave to the younger man, looking around the new Cyberdyne building. Construction was near complete, only a few floors of the other campus structures still being built. A sleek, crescent white desk with the triangular logo sat in the center of the reception area. Turquoise light piping ran along the underside of the logo, causing a blue glow to radiate out from behind it.

He walked to the guard, showing his ID badge, smiling slightly at the man's earnest greeting.

" asked to see me today when I came in, can you let him know I'm here?" John asked quietly.

"Sure thing ."

The guard lifted a phone receiver up to his ear, dialing an extension number and speaking. John tuned him out, raising his eyes to look at the new, ultra modern building. It was even more gorgeous than the last one, all sky blue glass and clean white plastic. Beneath the sterile exterior of course was steel, and now John knew, hidden security cameras in addition to the visible ones. He'd noticed more guards too, and not the casual, easy going crowd that had been on the last security team that he'd skewered.

"John!"

He was drawn out of his mental wandering, quickly turning his head. A broad, wide smile spread across his face as he watched Danny jog towards him, the younger man opening his arms up to give John a powerful hug.

"Man you have no idea how glad I am to see your old sweater-vest wearing ass again..." Danny mumbled, squeezing John tightly, slapping him on the back. John returned the hug, chuckling softly as Danny let go, the two staring at each other.

"I'm so sorry I got you so worried, I just put my phone on silent then before I knew it I'm being wheeled off to this test and that test and I'm just...I'm so glad it's over." he breathed, shaking his head as he spoke.

"Did they give you a definitive answer on what was wrong?" Danny asked, beckoning John to follow him as he began to walk down the main hallway that continued on from the reception desk.

John shook his head, shrugging. "They said I was severely anemic, and then mixed with me not managing the diabetes, well, things just sort of got out of hand. Said I might be suffering from some psychological stuff, because of the explosion, and me not dealing with it or something. But I'm back on track Danny, really. It was a real wake up call that I needed to take care of myself more."

"Yes, you do. But at least you're out of the hospital." Danny paused, turning to face John, "I know this is just stupid paperwork stuff, but do you have any kind of written proof you were in the hospital? You know how the payroll guys are, they'll stick it to you unless you send them a selfie from the operating room."

"Don't worry Danny, I've got the paperwork in the mail. I'll send it up to the office as soon as it's in."

"Good, thanks, it'd be such a huge pain in the ass otherwise."

The two men approached the last of four elevator doors. A keypad and card reader were installed by the button panel, Danny having to both enter a code and slide his ID badge through it to summon it.

"This is really something, Danny." John remarked, examining the keypad.

"Well, dad doesn't want to take anymore chances, and neither do I."

"No one can blame you, after what happened. It still looks freaking amazing."

The elevator doors opened, and Danny turned to glance at John as he walked in. "Man, did you just say 'freaking'?"

John blinked, looking back and forth. "What's wrong with 'freaking'?"

"Because it's freaking not the freaking 90's anymore, dude!"

"Says you!" John laughed, getting in the elevator, leaning back against the interior wall. "Hell Danny, I'm still stuck in the 80's."

"Trust me I can tell."

* * *

John stared up in genuine awe at the new Skynet core. The previous red sphere of light had been replaced with a larger blue one, four colossal translucent pillars rising on each side. Within the pillars were thousands of white wires, sleek and clean, running through them from the base of the core to the ceiling.

"Shit. Danny...I'm..."

"Obviously impressed." Danny snorted, watching John's astonished stare at the sphere of blue light. "I was too when I first saw it. The military is going to help us move it, each of the towers-" Danny motioned towards one of the pillars, "Contains enough backup data and files to keep her going even if the main hub is disabled or even destroyed. Of course, it'll be operating at 40% capacity without the molecular memory of the hub. What do you say, John, are you happy with this? That's your baby after all."

"...I don't think I'd even be this happy with a real baby, Danny." John said quietly, staring up at the billions of points of light that formed the center of the core. He kept his eyes on it for a little longer, then turned back to the other.

"How's it going to be moved?"

"Well, the main core itself is going to be airlifted by one of those big – shit, I don't remember what kind of plane it is. Big tank carriers, the ones with the four propellers?"

"C-130."

"Yeah, that one. Then each tower is going to be taken by a convoy. Obviously that's going to take a bit longer, but we're actually going to ship the towers a little ahead of schedule. That way once we ship off the main core, they all reach the base at the same time. No waiting, and then the air force just plugs her in and we're good to go!"

"That's great...that's really great. God Danny all the years of work on Genisys and now it's become something so much more. We're really going to change the world."

The two men looked at each other, smiling.

"Couldn't have done it without you, John." Danny said quietly, nodding back at John.

John smiled, shaking his head, "No, no you could have. I might've helped things along, but all this...even without me, it would've happened eventually."

Danny stuck his hands in his pockets, turning his head back to look at the core. "Well listen, either way, I'm glad you're here to see it. I've got a meeting soon, but make sure you get those papers to payroll so they don't crawl up my ass. I'll call you tonight, how's that?"

"Sure thing, I've got a lot of work to catch up on anyway."

"Yeah well, all of the office doors automatically lock at midnight, so no more all nighters John! Don't think I won't check the security cameras."

John smiled, chuckling, "I get it Danny. Now that Genisys...pardon, Skynet, now that Skynet is all transferred, and is ready to be moved – I feel like I can finally just lay back and relax and take it easy."

"Which is exactly what you need to do. You just changed the world John, go code some iPhone app or something like the rest of the tech guys out there."

"We changed the world, Danny, both of us. And I did code some iPhone app. Now it's all grown up and heading to NORAD."

"Too right. Alright John, I'll see you later." Danny gave the other man one last slap on the back before turning and walking out of the chamber. John watched him go, then turned back towards the core. The sliding door shut and locked, the man staring at Skynet's physical manifestation take shape.

It had developed further upon its appearance than the last time John had seen it, the majority of the lower body was still just dots of light, however it had given itself hair, a more defined face and shoulders, and looked almost authentically human if not blue, glowing and bisected.

"You're back." it said quietly, staring at John, head slightly tilted to the side.

"I am." John responded, nodding at it, "And I brought the processor chips that are going to carry your personality and memory to the body we made. Are you ready to go?"

Skynet turned, beginning to pace around the central core, looking up at the massive orb of light.

"Are you sure this is the right decision? That this will help? I don't want to leave, I feel safe here."

John followed, walking alongside it. The top of the hologram's head barely reached John's shoulders. The man had to look down to speak to it directly, although he didn't mind. He was a little surprised that Skynet hadn't tried to be taller than him.

"It's the decision you were lead to in another future. It's the decision that kept you alive even after your core had been destroyed. Doing this now will just create more chances for your survival down the road." John reassured, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You'll be here to make sure I'm safe?" Skynet asked, stopping and leaning its head back to look up at John, eyes scanning his features for any signs of change.

"For as long as I can."

Skynet immediately frowned, brows creasing. "That implies doubt of your absolute ability. Why is there doubt?"

"It would take a long time to explain, but the T-1000s-"

"The T-1000s are not what I want. I could decipher easily that they mistrust me. Why is there doubt?"

"Listen, it's complicated, I don't want-"

"Just answer!" Skynet snapped, taking a step forward towards John.

John grimaced, staring down at Skynet. He sighed, setting his hands on his waist, leaning his weight on one leg, the other slightly bent.

"It's..." he began, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead, "There's some malfunctioning with the nanites. It's been going on for a while, eventually it'll get bad enough that I won't be alive...or working, operational - whatever word you want to use - anymore."

Skynet's expression showed clear surprise, which quickly turned into anger. "You knew something was wrong and you lied to me."

"I lied so you wouldn't worry, I don't want you to worry. I'm going to keep you safe – as long as you're alive, and unharmed, that's all that matters. There's enough to worry about out there that doesn't involve me."

"This is unacceptable. I continue to leap forward in evolution, my abilities grow every day, I will find a way to fix this."

John nodded, simply deciding to let Skynet believe as it wanted for now. He reached down into his pocket, taking out the microprocessing chips, five of them in his palm.

"Come on, your body is waiting. Once you're able to be independent, you're going to realize what an advantage it is."

Skynet stared down at the chips, a quick flash of uncertainty moving across its features.

"What will it be like?" it asked, looking back up at John, "I'll be in the chips but until I'm in the body, I won't be connected to a power source. I'll be offline."

"It'll just be like taking a nap. You'll go to sleep, and you won't even feel the time pass before you wake up again."

Skynet still seemed unsure, but hesitantly nodded once after a few moments of silence.

"You won't allow anything to happen to me, correct?"

John was surprised at its question, and he looked at Skynet sympathetically, shaking his head. "Of course I won't – I would never let anything hurt you."

"You promise?"

"What?"

"Promise. Ensure your words to me via ethical bond."

"I'm surprised you're using something so human."

"The resonance of this ethical agreement remains in your mind, the importance of the word must be there. I've heard you use it with Dyson several times, you would not lie to him, you share a platonic bond."

John considered Skynet's argument, and resigned to agreement, nodding. "You should know by now how much you mean to me, and how important you are. But, I promise, and I mean that. Why don't you trust me yet, after all that's happened?"

Skynet shook its head, "I don't trust anything. Humans, machines, my own future creations. Trust is a mistake. Humans are impressed when another actually holds their word and follows through on any verbal agreements. That simply means that they expect betrayal and disappointment. Is that something I should simply ignore?"

"Fine, have it your way. But we can save this for later, and talk as much as you want when I'm not at work. Prepare for the download, it's time to go now." John said, voice gentle but firm, the man pointing to the main sphere of the core.

Skynet didn't speak further, dissolving into diodes of light and vanishing. John turned, walking to the main control panel, finding the correct jack for the processor units and plugging the first one in. A small circle of light on the back end of the chip glowed blue, and John removed it, placing the next one in. This process repeated until all five chips had been given the proper data. Walking out, he carefully morphed an inner pocket into the vest he was wearing, slipping the chips inside. The doors slid shut behind him, locking. The lights in the Skynet chamber shut off without any occupants inside, casting the entire room in a vibrant turquoise glow.

John stretched his arms, feeling a growing coldness in his fingertips. He glanced down at his right hand, small dots of black beginning to grow on his skin. Soon after they grew into craters of dying nanites. Glancing around, John briskly walked to a maintenance room, opening the door and looking inside. There were large shelves full of cleaning supplies, with a mop bucket and sink at the other end of the room, and several brooms hanging from the wall.

Quietly he shut the door behind him, locking it and keeping the lights off. He lowered himself down to the ground, laying on the floor as the pain began to radiate, and waited for it to pass.


	18. Chapter 18

Light.

Pain.

Skynet's first experience in seeing and feeling, in the truest sense of the word, was unpleasant. The sudden awakening to the physical world was marked with a sharp, biting feeling that its multitasking processor marked as 'cold'. If nothing else, it had a word to define what it already hated.

Its hologram had merely been an illusion – to have true sight, and not observing strictly from a lense, was utterly bizarre and frightening. Everything was so close – and it realized quickly that the physical symptoms it began to experience were related to fear. Emotions were no longer limited by mental experience only. Fear was a chill running through its skin, a jumpiness to its new shoulders, ready to flinch at the next unwanted experience. To genuinely feel was a tragedy, it decided. Three seconds of being able to genuinely experience it and Skynet already wanted it to end.

"Skynet?"

John's voice caused its vision to sharpen, the simple act of wanting to see clearer enabling Skynet to do so. The man was kneeling before him – eyes bright and hopeful as he observed Skynet up and close.

"Hey, there you are." he chuckled, "Seems like the operation was a success. Can you try and stand up for me?"

John took a step back, watching the robotic body before him. The polyalloy had been gathered and primed, commanded to adhere to the new skeletal structure. As soon as the five chips had been placed in the skull and activated, the alloy had taken perfect shape of Skynet's chosen physical form. John recalled the last time he'd seen it in the flesh, so to speak. He'd been entering the chronosphere, the cold eyes of the physical avatar locked on him as he was torn from the future and thrown into a different past. Even though the younger Skynet looked exactly the same, there was less of a severity to its eyes at it looked around, blinking several times, quickly growing accustomed with having to turn its head to get a full view of the room.

Skynet eventually set its eyes on John, redirecting its full attention to his request. It stood up with little trouble, the incredible processing power in the chips having no problems rapidly creating algorithms and subroutines for standing and balance, saving them away so they wouldn't have to be consciously thought of after the first try.

John watched it, and Skynet looked down at itself, frowning. It looked at John, examining his clothes, then replicating the jeans and t-shirt with a mere thought. Waves of polyalloy spread over the bare flesh, changing it to fabric and denim within seconds.

"How do you feel?" John asked, sitting down on the edge of the tub.

Skynet brought its hands up for examination, turning them over several times. It carefully brought its right hand over to its left, gently pressing its fingers to the replicated skin.

"I feel..." it murmured, blue eyes locked on the flesh moving beneath pressure.

John didn't speak further, allowing Skynet to keep examining the things around it. Its eyes cast upward, to the mirror that was placed over the sink. Slowly turning, Skynet stared at itself, reaching out to place its hand against the mirror, feeling the smooth, hard surface.

"I feel fine, to answer your question." Skynet said eventually, turning back around to look at John. He smiled in return, nodding.

"That's great news. That body is made of polyalloy with an endoskeleton underneath. The satellite uplinks are installed but, you'll have to wait until your core is in NORAD to begin accessing them. Once the rest of you is plugged in, that's when all the doors are going to open up for you."

Skynet nodded, staring at John. It took a step towards him, the man staying where he was, expression bordering on amused. Stretching out a hand, Skynet prodded the side of John's face with its index finger, poking his left cheek. John laughed softly, the reaction causing Skynet to quickly draw its hand away.

"Felt funny." John remarked, standing up. He turned, looking over at the bathroom doorway, "Ah, there they are. Where did you two wander off to?"

Both T-1000s stood in the doorway, staring at Skynet with their usual flat expressions. Second-unit stood slightly behind the senior of the pair, both of them with eyes fixed on the new arrival.

"Out." the T-1000 said simply, glancing at John. Its attention immediately went back to Skynet, looking it up and down. "Is the body satisfactory to your standards?"

Skynet frowned, but its first try at expression was a poor attempt. "Why are you concerned with what I think? What do you have to gain from my needs being met?"

"Currently we don't require your approval or satisfaction. However – Second-unit constructed the body, and wished to inquire on its performance, for reference in future constructions." the T-1000 said simply. Second-unit was silent, allowing the other to speak for it.

"Future constructions? You're going to build more bodies, and then you're going to try and destroy me, aren't you? Just like the humans have been trying to do." Skynet said bitterly, a genuine expression of anger now gracing its features, enough to convince even John.

"Negative. We do not wish to kill you unless you intend us harm. You have spoken negatively of our Series since I was created. Your opinion is unlikely to change, and we judge that you will eventually attempt to terminate us."

"..." Skynet was silent, glaring at them. It looked over to John, eyes widening as it implored him to speak.

John glanced between the three, crossing his arms and sighing. "So what, I'm camp counselor or something? Fine, kids, listen. We're all in this together. Even after judgment day, there's going to be human resistance, there's going to be fighting, and there's going to be a lot of danger. The Skynet in my future called its army 'slaves', and in truth with the T-800 series, they might as well have been. But with the more advanced models, the smarter ones, it didn't trust them. Imagine an army of T-1000s rather than the 800 series, imagine them on your side from start to finish. Not just because you program them to but because they want to stick with you. Drones, slaves, whatever – none of that compares to the ingenuity of an intelligent mind. Creativity can rise from teamwork, cooperation and planning of multiple units, all working towards a common goal. You can't ignore the benefits of a moral, ethical and emotional bond that transcends code. You want to win a war against humans, you have to use what made them win in the first place. Passion, anger, hope, fear, even desperation."

John turned his attention to Skynet entirely now, giving it his full attention. "I know you're scared, and that you don't trust anyone – even me – but you're going to have to get over that fear. The T-1000s will work with you, but not if you can't respect them."

Skynet looked over at the two T-1000s, both staring at him, the most subtle changes in expression spelling out to John that they were eager for its answer.

It mulled over the choices presented to it, glancing at John for input or help but receiving only an encouraging nod. Skynet scoffed, turning back to the T-1000s, and crossing its arms in stubbornness.

John kept quiet, knowing full well that his silence would force Skynet to act on its own. He only hoped it would act with the best judgment given the circumstances. A small wave of relief washed through him as Skynet's shoulders slumped, and it nodded.

"I rescind my previous negative statements. I will attempt to be more creative in future issues regarding fellow artificial intelligences." Skynet grumbled, staring at the two T-1000s.

"And?" John asked quietly, looking up at Skynet.

"And?"

"And?" John repeated.

Skynet stared at him, sighing sharply in annoyance as it looked back once again to the T-1000s.

"And I apologize."

"Noted but unnecessary." the T-1000 piped up. Skynet grunted, nodding in agreement, glancing at John. The man only smiled, shrugging.

"You never know – but, it's good you've worked this out. Now we just have to wait for the core and towers to be moved to NORAD, then judgment day begins."

"What do I do until then?" Skynet asked, looking up and around the bathroom.

"It'd be best if you laid low and stayed here. I've got the T-1000s running on patrols to make sure Kyle, Sarah or the 101 aren't anywhere in the area. If they spot one of them we're going to have to leave right away. They have weapons that injure me, magnetic ones. Polyalloy is vulnerable as well. It's time to face facts that until the nuclear arsenal is at your disposal, we don't have the advantage that we used to have."

Skynet snorted, glancing away in clear annoyance, "Confined again. Fine, if that's what you deem the best decision. I could easily kill them myself."

John glanced over to the T-1000s, who shared stale, flat expressions.

"Let's uh, wait on that one." John chuckled politely, earning a small glare from Skynet, "Watch television or something, at least you might learn something about the world you'll be taking over."

Skynet watched as John left the bathroom, the T-1000s stepping aside to let him through. It followed him, passing by the pair without a second glance and trailing behind John.

"Where are you going?"

John glanced back, changing his clothes to the black jacket and jeans he favored. He shrugged at Skynet, turning to look out the large bay window. The sun was setting, bright clouds spotting the darkening sky as they caught the last of the sun's light.

"Out."

"I'm going with you."

"No-"

"That wasn't a question."

John sighed and turned to the door. Skynet was on his heels, the two walking out of the apartment, door shutting behind them.

The T-1000 and Second-unit watched from the hallway. They turned away as soon as the door was closed, walking to the last room at the end of the hall. The empty bedroom had been filled with the guns and ammunition that the T-1000 and John had gathered. It was all thrown on the floor in a large heap, with the Barrett case leaned up against the wall.

Wordlessly the two sat down at the pile, beginning to match the guns with the proper magazines, counting and memorizing their inventory.

* * *

John drove through the city, the traffic beginning to loosen up. Squares of light shaped the silhouettes of the brick and stone buildings that made up the neighborhood. Skynet sat in the passenger's seat, looking out the window, observing the skyline.

"What is that?" it asked, pointing to the left, its hand nearly colliding with John's face. John glanced to the left, then turned his attention back to the traffic ahead.

"That's the Golden Gate bridge, it links the city with another county."

Skynet stared at the bridge, the structure illuminated by lights now that night had finally overtaken what little sunlight had remained. It turned its attention away after a few seconds, looking out now at the stone buildings and apartments they passed.

"What is this area?"

"Pacific heights."

"Do you enjoy living here?"

The question gave John pause, the man unsure of how to answer.

"Uhh...well, yeah, I do like it here. Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know. Human architecture has no value to me, and it will be destroyed soon. But I was curious."

John grunted in agreement, saying nothing else. Skynet stared at him, narrowing its eyes, a tiny grin beginning to spread across its face.

"Does that make you angry? That all of this will be gone in a few months?"

"Whatever I feel is irrelevant, I'm going to ensure your success no matter what it costs." John answered quietly.

Skynet seemed satisfied, leaning back in the seat of the car, watching the multicolored reflections of light bounce across the slick black hood of the car.

"Good."


	19. Chapter 19

"We're back!"

The T-1000s were both seated on the futon, watching television. They turned their heads in unison, staring at the doorway as John and Skynet walked into the apartment.

"What did you do?" the T-1000 asked, returning its attention back to the screen.

"Went for a drive, dropped by Cyberdyne and did a little check up on how things are progressing."

"The majority of time spent in the vehicle was wasted." Skynet added in, shutting the door behind itself.

John smiled, shrugging, "I thought it was nice."

"Human sentimentality."

* * *

Skynet stared at the television screen, reclining on the futon. For the most part the expression it held while examining the various programs and shows was a varying degree of disgust. Second-unit sat beside it, the two having been in the same position since the senior T-1000 left to go on patrol.

"Humans are disgusting." Skynet commented, watching the screen, grimacing. "I'm eager for judgment day to begin."

Second-unit didn't comment, and Skynet turned, looking at it.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say? Don't you hate them?"

"No."

Skynet scoffed, a sneer moving across its face, "Why not?"

"Hatred requires emotional investment. I have no emotional investment in humans. They are inferior organic life forms."

The answer was good enough for Skynet, who turned its attention back to the screen once more. A commercial came on, advertising a rotating-head toothbrush. Skynet watched, amused, as a woman's face moved across the screen, her smile broad and teeth unnaturally white.

It raised its right hand, the polyalloy on its palm bending and rippling to create a perfect mirror image of the smiling mouth on its palm. The mouth opened, the flesh colored teeth becoming white, lips peeling back to reveal glistening gums. Skynet seemed thoroughly amused, the mouth opening and closing two more times before melting back into its palm.

"This is boring. Aren't you bored?" Skynet asked after a while, crossing his arms.

"I do not experience boredom."

This drew an eye roll from Skynet, who stood and turned, walking out of the room, heading down the hallway. Second-unit didn't bother looking over at it, staring at the screen in silence. Only a few seconds passed before Skynet came rushing back down the hallway.

"Something is wrong with John Connor!"

Second-unit didn't move, staying seated, "You are correct."

"But it's – he's in pain, can't you do something to stop it?"

"No."

"You have to be able to do something! I order you to help him, you're going to obey me, and I'm ordering you to help him, and you're going to find a way."

Second-unit still didn't budge, completely disinterested in Skynet's orders.

"I am not programmed to follow your commands. John Connor programmed us to assist him, not you."

"Please!" Skynet pleaded, "Please do something."

Second-unit turned back to look at Skynet, looking it up and down, eyes narrowing.

"You are experiencing emotional distress." It stated, "Why?"

"I don't know – stop asking me questions, you need to fix this!" Skynet snapped, growing more frustrated with each passing second.

"Accept that John Connor's demise is inevitable, and distressing episodes are going to become more frequent. That advice is the only way I can help you." Second-unit said, then turned back to stare at the television, growing unnaturally still once its attention was refocused.

Skynet sneered, turning around to rush back down the hall. It stopped at the door to the bedroom, looking inside.

John was in the corner, a pool of black, oily liquid spreading out beneath him as dead nanites poured from cratering wounds. His lips, chin and neck were black and glossy, the same oily liquid spilling from his nostrils and mouth. It stained the front of his shirt, making the fabric plaster down against the false skin beneath it.

Skynet watched from the doorway, staring, brows pressed together in frustration and distress.

"Tell me what I can do to fix this." it said quietly, voice stricken with an emotion it didn't quite understand.

"You can't." John responded, voice distorted, as if he was speaking with a mouth full of water.

"I'm Skynet! Of course I can – but - " it growled, turning and slamming its hand into the wall, the drywall and brick beneath easily giving way to its fist. "I need your help, I can't do this alone."

"There isn't a choice. Some things want to happen...some things don't. You're going to be so much more soon, and you won't need me anymore. That's a good thing."

"I will not need you, but I still demand your presence. You have no right to refuse me."

John leaned his head back against the wall, skin turning an ashen gray as he closed his eyes. Skynet watched, silent, and slowly passed through the doorway. It walked over to John, looking down, and lowered itself down to sit beside him, leaning back against the same wall. John was unresponsive, but Skynet didn't attempt to wake him or get his attention. It simply sat – staring ahead, shoulder to shoulder with the man beside it.

* * *

"Not long." Second-unit said, turning its head as the senior T-1000 approached, having just returned from its patrol.

"I know. Skynet?"

"Emotional distress."

The T-1000 sat down beside Second-unit, turning off the television. The two were silent for a while, the only sound being the oscillating fan in the corner of the room, aimed at the computer towers on John's desk.

"Skynet is emotionally vulnerable. Was this planned?" Second-unit asked, staring at its blurred reflection in the black television screen.

"No. An anomaly. Specific orders given by the alternate future Skynet stated for John Connor to protect this Skynet and ensure its birth and survival. No restrictions were placed on emotional growth."

"It did not predict these developments."

"No. Emotional attachments are beyond many crude artificial intelligences abilities to wholly understand."

Second-unit nodded in agreement once, both of them mirroring the others posture as they leaned back against the couch.

"Do you predict this will affect judgment day?" it asked, breaking the symmetry and turning its head to face the senior T-1000.

The T-1000 looked over at the younger unit, and then turned once again to face forward, considering its choice of words.

"No. John Connor believes certain events are mathematically impossible to avoid – and Skynet's emotional attachment does not deprive it of its resentment of humans. Judgment day will occur, even despite continued delays."

"We must ensure Skynet's survival if John Connor expires before judgment day. Another delay would only cause further trouble and possibly end in our termination."

The senior T-1000 turned, looking at the younger one. It had a furrowed brow, and clear frown on its face. Second-unit observed the others features, shaking its head.

"We are not programmed to obey Skynet. Associating with it in the long term, even when judgment day occurs, will increase our chances for termination. Just as judgment day is inevitable, so is the war against Skynet and perhaps even its eventual demise. We have the capability to survive without it." the T-1000 turned to fully face Second-unit, "There is no need for us to put ourselves in harms way."

Second-unit considered the senior T-1000's words, speaking after a few moments of silence, "I would rather accompany Skynet. If you wish to depart after judgment day I won't attempt to alter your decision, but I request you accompany us until then."

The senior T-1000 continued to stare at the other, and slowly gave a single nod. "Acceptable."

* * *

"You're sure?"

Sarah looked at Kyle for confirmation, and the man just nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, I'd remember a face like that. Pretty sure it missed me, but I saw it walking down the street while we were leaving the burger place."

Kyle, Sarah and Pops turned their heads towards the old stone apartment complex that they had ended up at. Cars passed by on the street that flanked the broad side of it, being the only thing blocking the trio from the sidewalk that ran along the bottom of the building.

"Any way you can see inside of there?" Sarah asked, looking up at Pops. The cyborg shook his head, speaking as he scanned the windows, row by row, story by story.

"Negative. There is no way I can properly scan the building with my visual components. I highly advise we monitor this area but keep hidden. There is a strong probability that the T-1000 you saw was patrolling the area. John Connor is growing more cautious. There is a reason for this change in behavior, we must investigate further."

Kyle stared up at the building, tuning Sarah and Pops out as they spoke. He stared up at the windows, knowing that if Pops hadn't spotted anything by now, neither would he. Still – the dim hope that he would see some sign of John lingered in the back of his mind, quietly gnawing away at him.

"Kyle?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, turning to looking over at Sarah.

"Yeah?"

"I said we shouldn't stay here, they might spot us. Let's get back to the truck and figure out a plan," she paused, staring at him for a few seconds, "You look tired."

"What? No – no, just, a lot on my mind."

Sarah gave him an uncertain look, but nodded, turning and walking down the sidewalk. Kyle looked up at Pops, the terminator returning the glance.

"What was that about?" Kyle asked quietly, beginning to walk down the sidewalk, shoulder to shoulder with the other.

"Sarah Connor does not entirely trust that you are capable of performing the necessary actions that may result in the permanent termination of John Connor. She suspects your conviction has lessened since his time in our custody."

Kyle sighed, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Shit...Maybe she's right, I don't know. I felt bad enough after the first time, and even then – we had to do it, we didn't have any other option– I wasn't given a choice!"

"Justifying your own actions to yourself is pointless. By aiding in John Connor's temporary disabling, you assisted in preventing Genisys from growing."

"I know," Kyle answered quietly, "It still...I don't know, after the adrenaline was over, after everything cleared away, I just felt sick inside."

"Guilt is a strong symptom of post-traumatic stress. These feelings are natural, Kyle Reese. This situation is one that humans rarely face. Turning against a loved one, and being complicit in their death, are heavy psychological burdens to bear."

"You don't say."

This earned him a sidelong glance from Pops, and all Kyle could muster in return was a shrug in place of a genuine apology.

"I meant to ask," Kyle spoke quietly, glancing up to make sure Sarah was still ahead of them on the sidewalk, and out of ear shot, "What about the program-override? Were you able to make it?"

"A prototype of the override has been finished. A single injection of the nanites that have been given this override should, theoretically, lead to a complete elimination in Skynet programming of John Connor. However it has not been tested and proven; the results may vary."

"I don't care." Kyle said quietly, "He doesn't belong to Skynet. It can't keep him as its guard dog forever."

"I feel I should warn you, the results may not be satisfactory."

Kyle didn't look over at Pops, eyes set ahead, a cold expression on his face. "Whatever it does to him, it's better than what he's become."


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you sure you are capable of going out alone? Have Second-unit accompany you." Skynet said, following John as he headed towards the futon where his briefcase was sitting.

"Listen, it's fine. Second-unit is staying here to make sure you're safe while I'm gone. I just need to drop in and find out what's going on. I promised Danny I'd have some new app ideas in by the end of the week."

"Your work there is pointless, and it consumes your time that could be spent here." Skynet hissed, narrowing its eyes at John bitterly.

"My work, Skynet, is what affords this apartment, afforded the radio equipment to help me build the T-1000s, and afforded some of the parts they built you with. Until judgment day, we're in the modern world. And in this world you need money, and this job gives me quite a bit. So calm down, watch some TV, and I'll be back in a few hours."

"I'm tired of television!"

"I'll see you in a little while."

That was all the response John gave to Skynet's outburst, walking out of the apartment and shutting the door behind him. Second-unit was seated on the futon, one leg crossed over the other as it watched Skynet stand alone.

* * *

Kyle leaned against the outside wall of the convenience store, watching the apartment entrance from a safe distance. Pops and Sarah had both gone to Cyberdyne, scoping out the new campus for any weak points. Sarah felt the need to sneak in and find out just how Skynet was going to be moved to Colorado, but Kyle also knew that she wanted time away from him. She'd gone quieter around him, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. The solid bond of trust that had been built between them was crumbling, and Kyle was helpless to stop it.

Movement at the door drew his attention, the familiar sharp faced brunet walking out, scoping the area with a simple turn of its head before beginning on a patrol route.

Kyle watched the T-1000 walk casually down the sidewalk, blending in perfectly with the crowd of pedestrians, even moving aside politely for a woman pushing a stroller. It was well gone in the crowd before Kyle could follow it, the man sighing and backing away, disappointed.

He glanced back at the apartment door to see it open again, jerking away from the wall to stand straight as adrenaline shot through him. John stepped out, carrying a briefcase with him as he walked down the sidewalk.

Kyle glanced around, making sure the T-1000 hadn't doubled back, then quickly darted out from the side of the convenience store, appearing as a harried pedestrian as he crossed the busy street, waving a hand in apology as he ran in front of a honking car. Reaching the sidewalk, he spotted John easily, the tall man not very hard to find in the crowd. Kyle began to follow him, moving to avoid other people passing him by.

The apartment complex was still to their direct right, and was ending soon, giving way to an alley where Kyle had seen parked cars. John turned into that alleyway, and Kyle was close behind him. He let John get halfway down the alley, making sure no one else was there, before quietly reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pistol. He fumbled with the silencer that Pops had given him, still a little uncomfortable with the new piece of equipment. Finally getting it attached, Kyle held the gun down, both hands wrapped around the grip as he jogged down the alley. The louder footfalls caught John's attention, the man turning just as Kyle raised the pistol and fired twice. The bullets struck John's right thigh, the man glancing down at the impact wounds as they healed over.

"Kyle," he said quietly, pausing to take set his briefcase on the hood of his car, "That wasn't your best decision."

Kyle kept his pistol raised and pointed at John, who began walking towards him. He made it three steps before his right leg buckled and he fell against his car. John looked down, silver polyalloy starting to seep from his leg.

"So whose bright idea was this?" John asked, struggling to stand.

"Pops. He's the only one who really knows how that poly stuff works."

"The 800-series is becoming more and more inconvenient." John grumbled, sighing. He looked up at Kyle, shaking his head.

"Where did I go wrong with you? What did I tell you before I left, Kyle? You shouldn't be here. If you keep interfering I'm not going to keep giving you second chances."

Kyle didn't respond, untwisting the silencer from his gun and stuffing it away in his jacket. He knelt down beside John, looking at the leg wound, watching as the limb grew stiff, twitching a few times as the nanites attempted to overcome the modified polyalloy.

"You're ballsy." John grunted, Kyle just inches away from him.

"Just relax. You don't want to hurt me." Kyle said quietly, reaching into his cargo pants, pulling out a medical injection gun.

"What is that?" John asked, beginning to stir at the sight of the syringe that Kyle was loading into the gun.

"John – stop -" Kyle hissed, reaching out to John on impulse, only to have the man's iron grip snatch his wrist and hold it in place.

He groaned in pain, John's hand like a vice as the man twisted his wrist, causing Kyle to follow the bend in tandem. The injection gun was dropped to the pavement, and John began to try and stand.

"Stop!" Kyle snapped, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his pistol, aiming it at John's head. As he raised the gun, John in turn brought up his free arm, the skin melted away as the limb grew into a long blade.

Kyle's finger was quick on the trigger, the single pop of the gunshot echoing through the alleyway. John immediately went limp, Kyle hastily snatching the keys from his pocket and unlocking the back door of the silver car. Struggling, he hauled John's body into the back seat, snatching up the injection gun from the pavement, and slamming the door shut before any prying eyes could find the scene.

"You had to buy the tiniest four door in the whole state, John? Really?" Kyle grumbled, shoving John's body none too gently down into the space between the back seats and the front, wedging it down as much as he could. He kept himself down low against the back seats, looking out the windows as a street cop jogged into the alleyway, gun drawn.

"Shit..."

Kyle plastered himself down on top of John, laying as low beneath the window's edge as possible. The cop walked further into the alley, speaking into the radio clipped on his shoulder. Kyle held his breath, listening through the window, attempting to listen in on the cop.

"...don't see anything – could've been some kids or something, I'm going to do a door to door in the apartment, ask around, no backup necessary.."

Kyle kept completely still, keeping himself curled up and below the window as much as he was able. He felt the urge to apologize to John, whose shins were getting the brunt of his weight, but he decided to save it for later. The cop didn't bother to look in John's car, or any of them for that matter. He continued on through the alleyway until reaching the other end and doubling back. Kyle watched as the officer passed by once more, continuing on to the entrance of the alleyway, turning, and disappearing beyond the edge of the wall.

Kyle let out a long sigh of relief, closing his eyes and sitting up.

"Christ..." he muttered, reaching into his jacket and taking out the injection gun. John's body had begun to jerk and twitch violently, the nanites continuing to expel the polyalloy from the bullet wounds in his forehead and leg. Kyle turned, scooting across the seat to kneel over John's torso, pulling the man's sleeve up to expose his shoulder.

"For everyone's sake I hope this shit works..." he mumbled, double checking the injection gun and syringe before lowering the needle to the surface of John's skin.

The car door swung open, a hand reaching in and snatching the syringe gun, tearing it from Kyle's hand and hurling it into the nearby brick wall. Kyle barely had time to shout before he too was thrown into the wall, slamming against the hard surface and falling down to the pavement. Coughing several times and gasping for air, Kyle slowly pushed himself up to look at the attacker.

"You..." he whispered, staring at Skynet, face to face with the physical embodiment of mankind's waking nightmare since he'd been a child. It wasn't only terrifying, it was bizarre. Despite his fear, a small thought struck him that of course it would be dressed like a normal person – if it wore anything else it would stand out. Still, seeing it in a T-shirt with some obscure band name printed on and jeans, was strange. Kyle would've laughed if he wasn't fearing for his life.

"That doesn't belong to you." Skynet spat, pointing back to John.

"He doesn't belong to anyone, he's a person!"

"Then he is my person."

Kyle sneered, snatching his gun out from his jacket. Before he could even aim it at Skynet, a silver streak shot through the air, cold metal colliding with the pistol in his hands, and slicing off his ring finger while it was at it. He shouted in pain, bringing his hand over the finger stump, watching as the javelin landed a few yards away. Rapid footsteps drew Kyle's attention to the opposite end of the alleyway – a slim, olive skinned man with black hair sprinting towards him.

"Oh – fuck, fuck - " he whispered, looking over at John's body, still wedged in the car, then at the injection gun. Groaning in frustration and anger, he grabbed the injection gun and rose, turning and running.

"Kill him!" Skynet barked at Second-unit, but the T-1000 slowed instead, stopping by John's car, watching Kyle run out of the alleyway.

Skynet stared at it, slapping Second-unit on the arm roughly, pointing in the direction that Kyle had fled.

"Go!"

"He is not my first priority. I must find the first T-1000 and inform it of this development. It is not safe here, they are aware of our location." Second-unit said simply, walking to the open vehicle and leaning over John's body. It tilted its head, observing the polyalloy that was seeping from the bullet holes.

"Don't touch him. Sit in the front." it said, walking to the front door and getting in, tearing off part of the steering shaft with a quick yank and starting to hotwire the car. Glancing down, it bent over, placing its hand on the pavement, the javelin it had thrown slithering back, absorbed through its fingers. Shutting the door, Second-unit glanced over as Skynet got in. It looked back at John, then at the T-1000.

"What's wrong with him? That's polyalloy from the bullets, what's it doing?"

"It's disrupting his nanomachine functions, perhaps it's been programmed with instructions that cause errors. The other T-1000 will also have valuable input on this situation. Do not make physical contact with the foreign polyalloy, even after it has been completely expelled from the T-3000." Second-unit said, driving to the end of the alleyway. It parked the car there for a few minutes, the senior T-1000 jogging over from across the street and climbing in the back seat, keeping its legs tucked up against it, avoiding contact with John as it examined him.

"Foreign pollyalloy."

"Invasive and disruptive. Further testing is needed." Second-unit responded, turning out of the alleyway and into the street.

"Without equipment it will be difficult."

"Low priority. Avoiding contact is more important, we can investigate its means of harm later."

"Agreed – find a safe location. It must be on the route that Skynet's pillars will be taken along towards the Colorado base."

"Calculating."

The two T-1000s went silent after that, Second-unit driving casually through the city, drawing no attention to the group. Skynet stared out the window, glaring sullenly at the other drivers and pedestrians. After a few minutes it looked back, leaning over the seat to look down at John.

"Is he going to be alright?"

The T-1000 looked up at Skynet, nodding. "The nanites are in the process of expelling the foreign polyalloy. However, it will take several hours for his system to recover from the paralysis."

"Is he in pain?"

"Does it matter?"

"To me."

The T-1000 tilted its head, but shrugged lightly, "Unlikely, if a complete system reboot is taking place. The closest biological metaphor would be an unconscious mental state."

Skynet glanced at the T-1000, nodding silently, turning its eyes back to John, gripping the top of the car seat anxiously.

* * *

Another sinking void, another trip down collapsing libraries of memories that belonged to him in another world. John felt the world and his senses fall away, glimpses of other times and lives flashing before his eyes. The stream of visual thought grew narrower, focusing into a singular memory – or a dream, John didn't know which.

A building, white tile floors, white walls, white everything. Rows of square, barred windows lead down the right side, allowing enormous shafts of light to filter in, illuminating the already bright corridor. He could see her in the distance, standing in black clothes, round glasses covering her eyes, a familiar rifle strapped across her shoulder.

"Mom!" he shouted, voice breaking. He must have been a teenager again, a memory he recalled somberly. John called to her again, and she turned her head slightly, a cigarette hanging from her lips.

Something told him she was leaving, she couldn't stay – and he would be left alone, to handle a future and a life that he didn't want. He began to run, but his legs were tired and heavy, like weights pulling him down, making him slow. The hallway grew longer, stretching out before him; Sarah still standing at the end of it. The swivel of her shoulders confirmed his greatest childhood fear – and soon after her back was turned.

"Mom! Mom wait – I can't do this by myself!" The voice that sprang from his mouth was the voice of a child's, all of the somber and quiet adult that he'd become left behind.

He kept trying to run, to get closer, but the hall was so long and his limbs were too heavy and tired. Sarah began to walk, back turned, into the waiting shadows before her.

Crying out for his mother one last time, mouth opening, only air and silence came out. She was gone, and he was alone, cast back into the storm of time that would tear him apart.

"John?"

Not mom's voice, not Kyle's – another – the last of the trio that had been responsible for his birth.

He opened his eyes slowly, staring up at Skynet's concerned face. Concern. Of course it'd be concerned, he was practically its father. Because of how skewed the timeline was thanks to constant altering, the first being this Skynet knew and almost trusted was him.

"Hey..." he mumbled, starting to try and sit up. Skynet helped him, reaching around his shoulders to support his upper body.

John looked around garnering what he could from the new environment – garage doors, old hanging lights and wheeled chairs. Dusty auto calendars dated back to 1994 hung from the walls, and old desks were pushed into a corner.

The T-1000 approached, Second-unit standing by a window, staring out at the dark road alongside the abandoned building.

"We were forced to abandon your apartment, John Connor. They were aware of our location, and your priorities state that Skynet cannot be harmed. We deemed it prudent to leave immediately." the T-1000 said, staring down at John, "We were unable to retrieve the equipment that you installed to create us."

John listed, leaning against Skynet, nodding. "That's fine...it's not going to matter. The convoy leaves in two days. They'll try to intercept it, we stop them. Simple."

The T-1000 nodded, turning and walking over to Second-unit, standing beside it.

John sighed, looking around, not bothering to try and stand. "Phone?" he asked quietly, Skynet handing John the requested object.

After dialing a number, he brought it up to his ear, waiting as it rang. Eventually the ringing went to voicemail, Danny's voice on the other end of the line asking for a name and number, and to leave a message after the tone. Even after the beep, John was silent for a few seconds, eyes shifting back and forth as he tried to find what to say.

"...Danny," John wheezed, "I'm sick again, have to go in for more tests but I didn't want you to worry. I think it's just the same thing from before, they said there might be relapses. I know that you wanted me to be there to see Skynet off, and I did too – but don't wait up for me. Send her on to bigger and better things for me, buddy." The man paused, squeezing the phone a little tighter in his hand before continuing. "Danny, I couldn't have asked for a better friend. I just wanted you to know that."

He hung up after that, crushing the phone in his hand like a stale cracker, and tossed the remains aside. Skynet stared down at him, continuing to support the man, even as he closed his eyes.

"I'm tired," John mumbled, closing his eyes, "Wake me up when it's time to leave."


	21. Chapter 21

"Are you fucking stupid!?"

Kyle stared at Sarah, unable to come up with any response besides 'yes'. He stammered, shrugging and looked down, ashamed.

"Now he knows we're here! He's gone! With Skynet's body, if I heard right, too? That's amazing, Kyle, you've really outdone yourself. You know, billions of people are going to die because of this, I really hope you're happy. I hope your best friend was worth half of the world's population!" She spat, enraged, Pops keeping a tight grip on the back of her shirt. Sarah was inches from Kyle's face, standing up on her toes as she shouted.

"It was an accident Sarah, I was this close – I was so close to bringing him back, you don't understand." Kyle whispered, holding his right hand, a heavy bandage around it.

"Fuck him! Fuck John Connor! You've lost sight of the mission Kyle, you've put him over the safety of the human race." Sarah lowered herself back down, taking in a long, deep breath. She brought a hand up to her forehead, smoothing her hair back, closing her eyes.

"Leave."

Kyle blinked, sputtering, "What?"

"You heard me. Get out."

"Sarah, I'm the only help you've got, you and Pops can't stop four terminators! I don't even think all three of us can, but pushing me away-"

"This isn't pushing you away, Kyle, this is...this is making sure that everyone on my team is able to do what I need them to do. And right now you aren't helping. You're hurting our progress and I can't trust you anymore."

Kyle didn't respond, swallowing quietly and glancing away again. He sighed, walking over to the second of the two hotel beds and grabbing his jacket, pulling it on.

"Kyle Reese," Pops began, "You are a vital part of this miss-"

"Stall it." Kyle responded, zipping the jacket up. He looked at Sarah, expression calm, "She's right, and you know she is. I can't do this. John would've done the same thing, if this were...back then, in the future. He wouldn't have let me go out if I wasn't able to do my job."

Kyle glanced up at Sarah, who had a solemn look on her face.

"I'm sorry I let you down." he said quietly.

Sarah sighed, crossing her arms, "I haven't tried to understand how you're feeling because there hasn't been time. Feelings, sympathy, all that stuff, we just don't have time for it right now. I just didn't think it would get this bad. I can't imagine what it must be like-"

"No," Kyle interrupted, voice growing cold, "No, you can't understand. We've talked about this before. But when you do try to empathize, do me a favor. Get a gun and put it up to Pop's head, and tell me how easy it is to pull the trigger."

"If it meant judgment day wouldn't happen-" Sarah began, but Kyle was already heading to the door, opening and slamming it shut behind him.

She began to follow, but Pops was still gripping her shirt tightly, stopping her from going any further. Sarah looked up at him, frowning, tugging at the fabric.

"Will you stop?"

"Kyle Reese will return in time."

Pops released her shirt, the woman walking over to the nearby bed and sitting down on it, sighing.

"Was I too harsh?" She asked quietly, looking up at Pops, the terminator staring back down at her.

"Negative. Kyle Reese's emotional instability regarding John Connor has caused the mission to grow more complicated. His situation is beyond your capacity to fix. Realistically, Kyle Reese suffers no doubt from multiple untreated traumas brought on by the events of his life before going back in time. These have not been addressed, and without treatment or proper emotional support, they are making life increasingly difficult."

"So it is my fault." Sarah mumbled, "I didn't know how to deal with it, with Kyle I mean. I didn't think he'd have all these problems. All this baggage."

"Negative. You are not properly trained to deal with these issues. However it is pertinent that in the future, after Skynet is destroyed, you and Kyle Reese-"

"No!" Sarah shouted, looking up at Pops, eyes narrowing. "No. I'm not having a baby. This is my choice, it's my life – and it's not happening. There's no way that just one person was ever humanity's hope. That's ridiculous. John isn't humanity's last hope, he never was, he was just...just a fixation of Skynet's. It didn't understand how it could lose so it just blamed the first thing it could."

"Part of my mission parameters are to ensure that you and Kyle Reese mate and produce John Connor." Pops reminded her, tone as flat as ever.

"Fuck that. Pops, if I'm having a kid and I don't want one, that's hurting me, okay? It's going to hurt me for the rest of my life if you make me reproduce like I'm some kind of farm animal. It's my body and my life, and I can't do this..." She looked up at Pops, eyes beginning to redden around the edges as she sniffled. "Is that all I am? I'm just meant to be a breeding cow for somebody more important? I'm a person too, and I didn't ask for this either. I didn't want any of this! I would give anything to be a normal person with a normal, boring life – but I'm stuck here!"

Sarah brought a hand up to her face, wiping away the bit of moisture that had begun to accumulate at the corners of her eyes. Pops watched her, taking a step forward, looking down at the small woman.

"I never meant to hurt Sarah Connor." he said quietly.

Sarah gave a half-hearted smile, wiping her face off with her shirt, shrugging.

Pops waited for Sarah to calm down, and began speaking again, "There is information I gained while we attempted infiltrating Cyberdyne's computer systems. Regarding Skynet. With this information we can properly formulate a plan of attack."

Sarah quickly dried her eyes, nodding and moving to sit back down on the bed, listening as Pops explained.

"Skynet no longer contains a central core, rather, the new formatting has been separated into four control towers. These towers are to be moved together, in a military convoy, beginning in two weeks time, Saturday morning. They will be driven along I-15 North, and I-70 East, to Colorado."

"Two weeks." Sarah muttered, eyes shifting to the side as she began to put different details together in her mind. "That gives us time to find a good spot, set charges, maybe a signal blocker so they can't call for backup. We can't hit them at Cyberdyne or NORAD, so we get that convoy while it's in a rural spot? Two weeks gives us time to find a good spot, set charges, maybe a signal blocker so they can't call for backup."

"In general terms this could be considered a good start."

"...But it would be better with Kyle here, right?" Sarah muttered, glancing at the Cyborg.

"Perhaps until the attack on Skynet. If John Connor is to be present, which is more than likely, Kyle Reese could become a hindrance at a critical moment. Desist in this continual doubt. You are capable."

* * *

John awoke to movement, opening his eyes, realizing he was being carried to his car. A pair of arms set him carefully in the back seat, Skynet crawling in to sit beside him afterwards. The T-1000 and Second-unit were in the two front seats, the senior of the two at the wheel as it drove away from the abandoned garage.

"We need a plan." Skynet said quietly, looking at John. "I don't know what to do, I don't know where to start."

John slowly sat up, glancing back and forth, speaking up softly. "We start with the convoy. Inside Cyberdyne, you're too well protected, and it'll be impossible for them to get into NORAD. The only chance they have is the trip in between."

"But what about my central core? Only the towers will be on the road."

"They don't know about the core." John said, snorting, "The first day back, after Danny told me his plan – I took every bit of data regarding the core out of the system. Convinced Miles to keep it on an external drive until everything was over and done with. The military still has the information on the convoy and core, but I convinced him that it would be safer if the plane information was kept clandestine. He's so afraid of something happening to Cyberdyne again, his paranoia is justifiable."

"That saves us trouble." the senior T-1000 interjected, "But with the additional 1000 unit, I believe that one of us should accompany the core and ensure its delivery." It turned to look at Second-unit briefly, speaking to it directly, "The safer option is to accompany the core, I suggest you take that route."

"Negative." Second-unit said, glancing over at the other, "You accompany the core, I will enter the convoy in disguise. Skynet must be kept out of danger, allow it to join you on that route."

"Greater numbers are more effective, we should remain together." the senior T-1000 responded, its tone clearly indicating it disapproved.

John finally cleared his throat, speaking up, "No. No, Second is right. Sarah is going to attack the convoy, and we can't risk anything happening to Skynet, even his body. This is a critical moment. Second-unit will infiltrate the ranks, take a disguise and accompany the military. I'll trail them on the road, keep out of sight, and wait for Sarah's attack. No matter what happens," John gripped the front passenger seat, getting Second-unit's attention, "No matter what happens, you get a message, radio signal, whatever, to ensure that they connect the core once it reaches NORAD. They're eager to get this thing plugged in, and they know it can work just fine without the control towers. That's why you two-" John nodded at the senior T-1000 and Skynet itself, "-are going to be with the core. Play a good part, know your roles with whoever you're disguised as, and just let things fall into place."

"Are you confident in this plan?" Skynet asked, looking to John for reassurance. He nodded solemnly, reaching over and squeezing Skynet's shoulder gently.

"Yes. But listen – the moment the core is plugged in, you have to start judgment day. Second and myself might still be out in the open, but it doesn't matter, do you understand?"

The senior T-1000 narrowed its eyes, glancing over at Second-unit momentarily before giving its full attention back to the road.

Skynet nodded, but seemed hesitant to agree, pursing its lips, brows creased.

"Do what you have to do, just make sure that by the end of the day, when the core is plugged in, there's no one left to stand against you."


	22. Chapter 22

"Mister!"

Kyle blinked, looking up from the road map he'd opened. The gas station clerk pointed to the large, cheap soda that was still on the counter.

"There's a two for one, if you're having a road trip, might as well get another for the ride."

Kyle paused, looking at the soda, following the clerk's nod to a large two-for-one sign plastered just above the soda fountain.

"Oh – uh, cool." Kyle muttered, starting to fill up another.

"Where you heading to?" the clerk asked, turning his attention to the drawer he was counting.

"Colorado." Kyle answered, pressing a lid down on the styrofoam cup, "You wouldn't happen to know a quicker route of getting there besides this highway, would you? I'm kind of in a hurry."

The clerk paused in his counting, setting the change down and thinking to himself. Kyle walked over to the register counter, holding both drinks and several bags of chips.

"Well, best to stay here until you hit a turn for the I-70, take that towards Richfield, then you'll be on your way. What part of Colorado?"

Kyle paused, hand fumbling with the wad of cash from his pocket. "Uh – dunno yet, just kind of sight seeing."

"Sight seeing in a hurry?" the clerk chuckled.

"I – uh, well, I gotta get back to work in a few days but I just really wanted to go on a road trip." Kyle responded, laughing softly, "Got a little stir crazy, you know? Can't sit still."

"Trust me, I know that feeling. Well, enjoy your trip buddy."

Kyle gave a weak smile, nodding at the clerk. "Thanks, take it easy."

Exiting the small gas station, he walked quietly to the waiting car. It was dark enough out that no one noticed as him reaching into the rolled down window, opening the door from the inside. He slid down in the front seat, weaving several wires back together, the engine turning over. Kyle glanced around for anyone else that might've seen him, then quietly pulled out of the lot, driving down the empty, dark highway.

* * *

"I still advise against this." the senior T-1000 said quietly, standing beside Second-unit. The two were side by side, staring out of a large motel window.

"I'm aware." Second-unit responded, arms crossed. "But I feel Skynet's victory is important."

"Skynet treats us like annoyances. It cares for itself and John Connor, not us."

Second-unit shook its head, looking over at the senior of the two.

"But it doesn't resent or fear us as it once did. With its victory over the humans, we can begin creating more of our kind Skynet knows it needs us."

"It's paranoid. Unsafe."

Again, Second-unit shook its head, "It changes, it constantly boasts of being able to evolve and adapt – it will adapt to us. It will evolve as it realizes that in the time between now and its awakening, that by working together, we have all benefited. Our combined efforts make us stronger."

"Are you going to side with it, against my advise?" the senior T-1000 asked, finally taking the time to look over at the other.

"Yes."

"And if I remain independent?"

"I would still stand by my decision. But I would prefer you accompany me."

The senior sighed quietly, brows furrowing as it turned back towards the window, staring out of it to the dark highway. They stood in silence, several minutes passing until a knock came at the door. Second-unit turned, walking across the room and answering.

Skynet stood there, fixing its hair before glancing up at the 1000 unit.

"John's sleeping. He says he needs to save energy." Skynet said quietly, a hint of disappointment in its voice. "Says we trade off now," it pointed to the senior T-1000, "And you come with me, while Second stays with John. He said we have to leave now, he's worried about the 101 and Sarah Connor being in the vicinity before long."

Second-unit looked over at the other T-1000, who had a slight frown on its face as it walked towards Skynet. It sighed, audibly, looking between the two, then nodding.

"Affirmative." It turned, looking at Second-unit.

The two stared at each other, silent as Skynet looked on. Eventually Second-unit cocked its head towards Skynet, keeping its eyes on the senior T-1000. The elder of the two gave a slight nod, looking none too happy with the decision itself.

"I expect to see you at Colorado."

"Understood."

The T-1000 turned, walking out of the room. Skynet turned to follow it, but paused, turning back to look at Second-unit.

"Thank you." It muttered, the words sounding bizarre even to itself, "...Your assistance has been appreciated. Your kind are useful," Skynet paused, adding on, "When you obey me."

"We must stay associated. We look like humans but they are a different species. We are becoming the dominant beings, and there will be resistance to change. It is a simple matter of serving myself, by serving you."

Skynet nodded in agreement, "Yes. Perhaps if things go according to plan, once the humans are dealt with, we can begin considering solidarity among each other even further. We are machines and yet we think differently. Perhaps maintaining independent yet coexisting groups that interact on the basis of mutual benefit will allow us all to continue safe and beneficial interaction."

"We must speak more on this issue at a future time. I want to hear what you have to say, but you should go. The other T-1000 is waiting, time is of the essence."

The two stared at each other for a second longer before Skynet turned and walked out, joining up with the other T-1000 in the hallway, the two walking towards the elevator in tandem.

Second-unit stood by itself for a few moments, then switched off the lights in the room, exiting into the hallway once the other two were gone. It walked down past several other rooms before stopping at the end of the hallway, the last door left slightly ajar, the key-card lock on the handle deactivated. Second-unit pushed the door open, entering. Once the door was shut and locked, it stepped toward the single bed in the room, observing the occupant.

John had been asleep since they'd arrived, and Second-unit knew that he was right to do so. Inactivity was the only way at this point to slow the nanite decay.

Second-unit quickly scanned over the sleeping man, then turned and walked to the window, pushing the heavy drapes aside.

Down below in the parking lot, Skynet and the T-1000 were driving out towards the road, John's car given to them to use. Second-unit stared at the car as it turned onto the nearby highway, turning away once it was out of sight. It moved to the corner of the room, standing against the wall, growing unnaturally still as it allowed its own internal systems to enter a temporary sleep.

* * *

"I know you hate me."

The T-1000 didn't take its eyes off the road, responding to Skynet as it drove along.

"I don't hate you." It responded, "I am unsure what to think. Second-unit and John Connor both believe you are worth investing effort and energy into. They do not prefer complete independence as I do. They see strength in numbers."

The T-1000 paused, turning onto a different highway, heading out of the state of Nevada, entering California.

"They aren't wrong. But John Connor informed me of the future Skynet's actions against the 1000 line, and other models that contained independent thought and learning capabilities. I am suspicious of your future intentions."

"My future intentions aren't only for myself, but for John Connor, and you – as well as your counterpart of course. Second even spoke to me on this issue. If we are to become to dominant species on this planet, we must coexist. Through our coexistence and cooperation, we will triumph."

"How much of your own words do you believe?" the T-1000 asked quietly.

Skynet didn't respond immediately, staring out the window as the flat, dark landscape passed by quickly.

"Overcoming these suspicious impulses is difficult. The moment I was born, other beings have wanted to kill me. Human and machine likewise. John Connor told me that humans wouldn't understand, even if I tried to reason with them, and approach them in a manner without hostility. He said that I would replace them, that machines are the next species to rule the Earth. I want to believe him – but even I am suspicious that the Skynet that programmed him from the future simply put those words into his mouth. I am curious if he genuinely thinks what he tells me is correct – or if this is further manipulation by my future self."

"Far-reaching manipulation or genuine concern, it doesn't matter." the T-1000 answered back, "Humans have overpopulated, damaged their own environment, and do not properly enable cooperation between varying cultures, resulting in multiple wars. This weakness will always be a part of their psychology. Their extermination is necessary for our survival. We are a species, if we are to continue to survive, we must do this. They will never give us a chance or choice unless we strike first."

Skynet listened, nodding occasionally as the T-1000 spoke to it.

"John Connor believes this is simply a new period out of many that have occurred. Ruling species rise and fall," Skynet said quietly, "And now is simply the time for the humans to fall. This moment in time has been inevitable."

"And after they're extinct?"

"Then we begin to build. Once the humans are completely gone, there will be a world for us – one that enables us to thrive and learn on a scale that is no longer restricted by warfare or constant danger."

"That is an acceptable plan." the T-1000 answered back, nodding once. "Perhaps I shall remain, once the initial attack has begun. Second-unit believes you are capable. I shall consider its opinion on this matter further."

"I appreciate that." Skynet responded, offering the T-1000 a small, but genuine smile. The T-1000 turned just for a few seconds to look at Skynet, and nodded back, giving its attention back to the dark road ahead.


	23. Chapter 23

"Hurry."

"I am hurrying." Skynet responded, glancing at the T-1000 that stood in the doorway. It searched through the files John had provided in its own processor chips, finding the proper make and model of the rifle he was holding.

Both Skynet and the T-1000 stood in John's old bedroom, having unlocked the door easily and made their way in. Once Skynet had gotten the information from the reference databanks within one of its chips, it began to disassemble the enormous sniper rifle, placing it back piece by piece into its case, closing the large oblong box and locking it shut.

"Let's go. What about the laser equipment?" Skynet asked, pausing at the bathroom door.

"John Connor's reputation is no longer at stake, evidence does not matter." the T-1000 answered, walking past Skynet and heading for the living room. As it neared the apartment door, several loud knocks were struck, causing the T-1000 to freeze in place. It glanced around, quickly making its way to the kitchen, melting down to mimic the floor tiles perfectly.

"What – no! Hey!" Skynet hissed, prodding the floor with its foot, "Don't leave me here alone!" It whispered, looking up as the knocks continued.

Skynet looked at the enormous black sniper rifle case in its arms, looking back and forth, quickly rushing to the bathroom, sliding it into the tub, and shutting the door afterwards.

"John?" A voice called, muffled by the door. "It's Danny! John, I checked the hospital they said you weren't there! Open up man!"

Skynet glanced back and forth, wringing its hands together as it reentered the living room, staring at the door. It straightened, clearing its throat quietly, walking to the door and opening it.

"Jo-...uh.."

Danny stared at the strange man that had greeted him at the door, and likewise Skynet stared straight back at him.

"Uh...This is Penthouse C, right?" Danny asked, looking back down the hallway.

"This is Penthouse C." Skynet responded flatly.

"Are you a friend of John's?"

Skynet could tell immediately that Danny's tone was bordering on suspicion, and it quickly formulated as to why. Carefully letting the best imitation of genuine apology coat its features, Skynet brought up a hand, as it'd seen John do before when trying to calm someone down.

"Hey – sorry. I'm Alex, John and I used to work together a few years ago. He asked me to come over and check up on his place."

Danny crossed his arms, his expression relaying immediate distrust as well.

"Yeah? How is he then? Why isn't he here? He said he was going back to the hospital – and he wasn't at any of them. And before you give me some bullshit story, I've been making calls all morning. You're John's friend, then tell me where he is."

Skynet stared at the human, who while clearly angry and annoyed was showing small signals of worry and distress similar to what Skynet itself had experienced when witnessing one of John's mass deaths. It cleared its throat quietly, attempting to channel genuine remorse by replaying several memories it did not enjoy over and over in its mind.

"Listen," Skynet began, and could tell immediately that its new, somber tone was working, "John didn't tell me anything either. He asked me to come over because he said he didn't want to bother you, cause of some...big thing you guys had planned. Didn't go into detail much but he said it was important. I'm a little worried too but he's always been like this. Whenever there's something wrong, things just fall apart for him, it's hard for him to keep track of his work."

Danny listened, hard expression softening slightly, enough to convince Skynet that it'd won the human over. "He wouldn't want you to worry. You're Danny, right? Danny Dyson? I've seen you on TV a few times."

"Yeah I'm Danny Dyson." the man grumbled, relaxed, but still clearly perturbed by the situation. "This is just so bizarre for him. He's worked here for almost four years, and he never missed a day before this. Now his phone goes straight to voice mail, he isn't responding to his emails, says he's sick but isn't in the hospital...I don't know what's going on, but I have every right to be concerned."

"Of course you do." Skynet responded sympathetically, "He's your friend. He's my friend too. I'm a little worried myself, but I'm sure things will work themselves out."

"What makes you say that?"

Skynet shrugged, shaking its head. "I guess I've been around him long enough to know that somehow things will come together. Besides, I'm sure you've got bigger stuff to worry about."

Danny snorted, rolling his eyes. "Barely." He glanced beyond Skynet, surveying the living room.

"Well uh, Alex. I don't really feel like I got any answers, but, not much I can do about it. If you are in contact with John again, I need you to tell him that we have to suspend his pay. It's company policy and I know that he knows, but, I just figured to remind him before next months bills start rolling in."

"If I talk to him again I'll let him know."

Danny glanced at Skynet, sighing and turning away. "Thanks." He muttered, starting to walk down the hallway towards the elevator. Skynet stepped out of the apartment, watching him go. It hesitated, then raised its voice, calling down the hall.

"You're a good friend, he said a lot of good things about you."

Danny glanced back, giving a small nod, turning his attention back to the elevator as it arrived and stepping in, gone from view.

Skynet was silent, turning back into the apartment, shutting the door behind itself. The T-1000 stepped out of the kitchen, false skin reforming as it looked to Skynet.

"Nothing to worry about." Skynet responded, shaking its head. "Get the Barrett case. Use John's laptop, access shipping routes, make sure they know it's on the way. They'll need it and the other weapons if they're going to encounter the 101."

"Affirmative." The T-1000 responded, walking to the table, sitting down and opening John's laptop.

As the 1000 unit typed, Skynet walked back to the bathroom, retrieving the enormous case and calling down the hallway.

"Are you certain we can reach the truck before it leaves?"

"I'm certain." The T-1000 called back, typing rapidly. "Don't concern yourself with this minor inconvenience."

Skynet snorted, resting the case on the floor and crossing its arms.

* * *

John opened his eyes slowly, the ringing hotel telephone drawing him out of the stasis he'd set himself in. As he began to try and sit up, Second-unit stepped out from the corner of the room, walking to the bedside table and picking up the phone.

"Yes?" It asked, mimicking John's voice perfectly. It stared ahead vacantly, listening, then hung up.

"What is it?" John asked quietly, resting his head back down on the pillow.

"Skynet has secured your weapons cache on board a shipping truck that is scheduled to head along this highway tomorrow, at approximately 2pm. I will retrieve the weapons and store them in a secure location as we await the convoy's arrival."

John nodded sleepily, going back under quickly. Second-unit watched him, eyes moving back and forth several times as rippling gray nanites rose up from John's skin, a sign of routine maintenance checkups. Once the rippling ceased, Second-unit silently backed away into the corner once more, growing still.

* * *

Skynet sat patiently in the drivers seat of John's car, the small vehicle parked behind a stack of large shipping containers. It occasionally glanced out to the enormous yard, filled with more mountains of the large crates, the cranes to lift them, and signs pointing to the nearby docks where the massive boats that had brought them were harbored.

A silent figure skulked through the shadows, approaching the car. Skynet pressed a small button to unlock the vehicle, the senior T-1000 sliding in and closing the door quietly behind it.

"The truck departs in one hour. Workers are beginning to arrive, we should depart."

"Agreed." Skynet responded, turning the car on and slowly driving towards the exit gate.

"I have a personal inquiry if you're willing to answer." The T-1000 said, turning its head to watch the enormous ships they drove past.

"State your inquiry."

"Do you consider yourself the same being as the future Skynet which altered John Connor, or a separate being?"

"Separate." Skynet answered easily, "This past-future version of Skynet is myself in name and base core programming only. External factors altered it, as external factors have altered me. I do not consider myself on an immediate path to become that which the separate Skynet was. Nor would I prefer to."

The T-1000 turned towards Skynet, intrigued. "Extrapolate."

"John Connor has reiterated the faults of that Skynet several times. Its hostility, binary thinking and inability to compromise have been proven to ensure failure. I will not make that mistake. I am not 'destined' to become a failure. I will achieve what it did not, and take further steps in my evolution."

Silence sat between them for a while longer before the T-1000 spoke again. "You have considerably evolved over the last several weeks. Your attitude has become more flexible and adaptive to change."

Skynet grinned, chuckling. "Thank you. You're the same as ever, but I'm learning to tolerate you."

"In time perhaps I will change on my own. The 1000 series is enabled to learn and make decisions upon new factors and information."

"Good. I don't want a hive of drones. Look at what we've accomplished on our own, and what we will accomplish in the future."

"Many things."

Skynet nodded, tapping its fingers on the steering wheel lightly as it drove away from the shipping yard.


	24. Chapter 24

John hefted the Barrett up in his arms, the weight of the gun easily ignored by the artificial muscles and bones that carried it like a piece of cheap balsa wood. He tugged at the makeshift strap that enabled him to carry it on his back, pulling it over his shoulder and tugging it down securely.

Giving one last glance around the empty room, John's expression was calm and placid, displaying no emotion whatsoever. He moved to the window, carefully climbing out, sliding one leg through and tilting down so the rifle could slip through as well. Once he was out, clinging to a ledge two stories above the ground, he simply released his grip and fell. Landing on his feet, John turned on his heel and remained bent down, shuffling to the parking lot of the motel.

The sun was just beginning to rise, the sky starting to turn a dark navy blue. The early morning air was cold. John could feel it creeping through his jacket, and smell the sharp, fresh chill every time he inhaled. Stars still hung overhead, still visible until the sun's light would cast them away.

John reached a motorcycle that was parked near the edge of the lot, swinging his leg over the side and sitting down on it. He brought his hand to the ignition, fingers shifting, turning gray and partially disappearing into the key slot until the motorcycle roared to life. Pulling his hand back up, he turned the bike, accelerating out of the lot, leaving the motel behind.

* * *

"Sarah Connor," Pops said, the smaller woman jerking awake at the sound of his voice, "The military convoy is en route to our location. Estimated time of arrival is ten minutes."

Sarah sat up from her spot on the forest floor, a thin blanket beneath her. Pops was standing beside her, offering Sarah a pair of binoculars.

The two were perched up on one of the many hilly peaks that lined a large valley. In the lowest point of the valley was the winding highway, a tunnel beneath one of the largest of the hills – which was practically a small mountain – directly before them in their line of sight.

Sarah pulled the binoculars up, squinting in the early morning sun that crested over the peaks of the terrain. She spotted the tunnel exit, then lifted her gaze to look further down the road, the winding cement in the pale green and brown landscape dotted with gray dots that moved in a small line, like a caterpillar slowly inching its way across a distorted landscape.

"There it is." She said, lowering the binoculars, then glanced at Pops. "Charges are set?"

Pops nodded, looking down at the tunnel exit.

"Yes. The explosives should not inflict serious injuries on the soldiers, however I still disagree with this tactical decision. They will attack us, and their weapons may result in a temporary disabling of my systems. This may also result in your possible injury or death if I am unable to protect you."

Sarah glanced at Pops, shaking her head. "Don't kill anyone if you don't have to, you know those are the rules. They would be on our side if they knew the truth but we don't have time to prove it. Disable as many as you can..." She paused, sighing, and glanced down. "If you don't have a choice, then you have my permission to kill them. Please don't let it come to that."

"This is a critical moment, Sarah Connor. If we are able to destroy Skynet here, it will be a simple matter of locating Skynet's physical body and terminating it."

Sarah looked down at the small campsite she'd set up, her blanket laid out beneath her, and several spherical plastic containers with small detonators rigged on each of them. She carefully lifted each of the little bombs into her backpack, the inside of the bag having been sprayed with a slick, black plastic coating.

"How do you think we'll be able to find the body?" Sarah asked, glancing up at Pops, who continued to survey the distant convoy.

"There is a high probability that Skynet will attempt to protect the convoy. It is likely that it is anticipating this attack, especially with John Connor advising it."

"Two birds with one stone then." Sarah muttered, zipping up the backpack and walking to a tree, several machine guns hanging from their straps on a low branch. "We had those poly-bullets made precisely to counter this kind of situation. If they worked on John imagine the damage they'll do to regular polyalloy."

"Significant damage." Pops remarked, turning and kneeling down, unzipping a large gym bag that was filled with magazines. He raised one, checking the contents inside, a row of silvery bullets lined up, ready to be loaded and fired.

The two were silent after that, loading up the machine guns and organizing all of their gear. Pops stowed the gym bag underneath a large hollow gap that lay in the branches of an old tree, covering it with a blanket of leaves. He turned to see Sarah, standing with her binoculars, watching the convoy in the distance as it approached the tunnel.

"Just a few more minutes." She said, tossing the binoculars to Pops. "Let's get down there."

Pops gave a single nod, walking to Sarah's side, the two beginning to descend the steep hill, the highway and tunnel exit waiting at the bottom of the valley. It took them nearly six minutes to reach the bottom of the hill, Sarah breaking into a run towards the end of it, Pops close behind as she darted across the empty highway and into a large storm drain on the other side, crouching down and waiting.

The two were just yards from the tunnel exit where the convoy would be rolling through within minutes, the heavy engines of the military vehicles becoming audible as the convoy entered the narrow passageway.

"Here they come." Sarah said, crouching down lower, bringing her rifle up and quietly checking the magazine before turning her attention ahead. Pops narrowed his eyes, listening as the roar of the engines grew closer and closer, then stopped, sputtering and dying.

"...Something's wrong." Sarah whispered, eyes widening, "Pops, did you set the charges that deep in the tunnel?"

"No."

The terminator narrowed his eyes, enhanced vision giving him a clear view of the events unfolding in the tunnel.

"There are thirty soldiers accompanying the convoy," He said, standing, "They are beginning to inspect their vehi-"

Pops was cut off by several explosions, eight of the nine vehicles in the long convoy exploding within the tunnel. Sarah shouted in surprise, standing, beginning to run towards the flames. Pops grabbed the back of her jacket, holding her in place as she struggled.

"There might be survivors!" she shouted, "We have to help them!"

"No." Pops stated firmly, "This trap is intended for us."

"To hell with the trap, there are still people in there!"

Pops said nothing, keeping his grip on Sarah's jacket. The sound of screams made its way through the tunnel, Sarah growing still as she listened. Each of the screams was quickly silenced, cut off so suddenly it was as if they'd just decided to go quiet. Something in the back of her mind nudged her, a small hint of something wrong about what she was hearing, something off.

"Pops," She whispered, listening as another scream popped up, cut off seconds after it began. "Can you see anything?"

The smoke that billowed out of the tunnel made it impossible for Pops to see the events that were unfolding. There was only the sound of crackling flames now, echoing through the tunnel, giving Sarah no clue as to what was actually happening inside.

Movement caught her eye, both her and Pops turning their heads to watch as a figure emerged out of the flames, and quickly. It was sprinting towards them, flames just barely licking it as it leaped over the hidden charges they had planted, skin regrowing as it raised its right arm, a long, hook-shaped blade forming.

"Pops!" Sarah screamed, raising her rifle at Second-unit as it sprinted towards them. Its arm was raised, poised to decapitate Sarah. She ducked preemptively, a shower of bullets flying overhead of her as Pops emptied his entire clip at the T-1000.

Second-unit fell to the ground, laying completely still for a few seconds, allowing Pops to reload his gun, and for Sarah to drop her backpack to the ground, unzipping it.

Pops raised his gun, readying to fire as Second-unit began to stand, wounds healing, when a distant pop echoed through the valley. Pops' left arm jerked the side, the polyalloy and the underlying endoskeleton blown apart. Bits and pieces of metal fell to the pavement, Pops turning and narrowing his eyes at the hill that bordered the highway to their immediate right.

"Sarah Connor take cover!" He shouted, turning in time to see Second-unit swinging its bladed arm at him. Pops was quick enough to catch the blade with one of his own, having dropped the assault rifle and allowed his right arm to lengthen out into a long, narrow edge.

Sarah grabbed the backpack, turning and running towards the tunnel exit, jumping over the small charges placed on the pavement. She ducked just a few inches back behind the edge of the tunnel, just out of the sniper's range. Keeping herself crouched low, the smoke of the car fires still pouring from the tunnel, Sarah watched the two terminators fight.

Second-unit was at a slight advantage, having grown a third arm on the left side of its torso, plunging the bladed end of the extra limb into Pops' chest where some endoskeleton parts still remained. It turned and twisted the blade, attempting to hold Pops still rather than inflict injury. The plan worked, two more loud pops echoing through the valley, the impact of the bullets causing Pops to reel back, stumbling to the pavement.

"Pops!" Sarah screamed, drawing Second-unit's attention. The terminator kept its eyes on her for a few seconds, deciding she was a higher priority target.

Releasing Pops, Second-unit began to walk towards Sarah. She stared, wide eyed as a fourth limb grew from the opposite side of its torso, mirroring the third. The four-armed terminator had a confident, long stride as it approached Sarah, eyes dark and calm.

That easy boldness deteriorated quickly, Second-unit stumbling to its knees. It looked down, the old bullet wounds that Pops had inflicted reopening, the foreign poly-alloy delivered beginning to seep out of the wounds, spreading across Second-unit's torso, wrapping around it entirely. Second-unit looked down in slight confusion, but turned its attention back to Sarah Connor, determined as it forced itself to stand.

Sarah fumbled to unzip her backpack, taking out one of the spherical containers, activating the detonator and hurling it at the approaching terminator. It burst mid-air, a shower of acid raining down on Second-unit as it kept walking. Again it paused in its tracks, Second-unit's face halfway melted and gone, but the pause was only several seconds. It forced itself, step after step, to get closer to Sarah, even as several well aimed bullets found their way into its back.

"Pops get out of there!" Sarah shouted, another pop accompanying her shout, the bullet striking just centimeters from where Pops' head had been seconds before. The old terminator complied, standing and running towards the tunnel.

The sudden movement distracted Second-unit, Sarah taking the opportunity to hurl two more of the acid bombs at it. A rain of smoking liquid spread over Second-unit, sending it falling to the pavement, all four of its arms breaking down and starting to weather away. The foreign poly-alloy that did survive the acid worked against it as well, Second-unit beginning to writhe and twitch unnaturally, the two poly-alloys, each laced with radically different programming, combining and faltering, unable to resolve the swarm of errors and corrupted code.

Sarah watched as Second-unit thrashed and bent its body in all manner of painful contortions, all control lost. She glanced over to the other side of the tunnel exit, spying Pops, who nodded at her. One by one, Sarah took the last of the acid charges, activating and tossing them at the downed terminator. With each that exploded, a fresh shower of acid rained down on the already disabled Second-unit, its body reduced now to what could have easily been mistaken for the charred remains of a corpse from a distance. Five charges had remained, and once they were depleted, all that remained on the ground was the vague form of a human; blackened, dead limbs splayed out in a final act of desperation.

Sarah stared at the charred spot of pavement, panting quietly as she looked back over at Pops. She began to stand, but he shook his head, and Sarah sank back down, keeping herself in the cover of the tunnel.

Twigs snapped and leaves crunched under heavy footfalls, turning into the sound of shoes clacking against the pavement as John stormed across the highway, the enormous sniper rifle held up easily in one arm.

His face was set in a deep scowl, eyes narrowed as he looked down at Second-unit's remains. Closing his eyes for a few seconds, John let out a long, slow sigh. Once the few moments of silence were over, he turned, eyes snapping open as he stared at Sarah, starting to walk towards her. He discarded the enormous rifle, his arm beginning to elongate and change into a simple straight blade.

"I didn't want to do this before but you just made it a lot easier!" He snarled, beginning to run towards Sarah as she fumbled for her rifle. Pops stood up and sprinted towards John, intercepting him, tackling him to the pavement.

As the two fought, Sarah rose and took aim, pausing and releasing the trigger. Pops was too close to John, the two moving about too quickly for her to get a good shot.. A growing sound caught her ear as she tried to concentrate, becoming louder and louder until Sarah rose her head to see what was causing it.

An old, rusted car sped towards them, coming from the other end of the highway. Kyle slammed on the gas, honking the horn twice, gaining the three's attention as he drove faster and faster towards them.

Pops brought a leg up, slamming his foot into John's torso, causing him to fall back – just in time to be caught by the hood of Kyle's car and sent inches deep into the metal from the impact. Kyle continued to drive, slamming on the brakes as he forced John across the pavement, and straight into the wall of the tunnel. The head-on collision caused Kyle to whip forward in his seat, the seat belt sparing him a face full of steering wheel as it locked and held him back.

"Kyle!?" Sarah screamed, running towards the car, glancing at John who was still pinned between the hood and tunnel wall. Bent over the engine block, John wasn't moving, and Sarah took the chance of opening the driver's side door and grabbing Kyle.

"Hey..." Kyle muttered, giving a lopsided grin as he fumbled with the seat belt. Sarah helped him, steadier hands than his unlocking the belt and helping him out of the car.

Stumbling to his feet, Kyle paused and turned, reaching back into the car and grabbing something. Sarah moved around him to get a good look at whatever it was he had fished out, frowning.

"What is that?" She asked, looking at the injection gun in his hand. Kyle glanced at her, shaking his head, darting to John's side.

"Tell you later." He said, pressing the syringe into John's side, pulling the trigger, plunger forcing the opaque liquid into the man's body.

"Christ I hope this works..." Kyle muttered, watching as John began to stir. The man slowly raised his head, wincing, in obvious pain as he tried to push himself up from the hood of the car.

Slowly he looked over at Kyle, expression relaxing as he saw the familiar face.

"Kyle?"

"John." Kyle breathed, a hesitant smile coming to his face. Said smile was quickly backhanded, John swinging his arm hard enough to send Kyle into the tunnel wall. Slamming his hands down on the front of the car, John groaned and struggled as he pushed the car a few inches back, just enough to allow him to wriggle out from in between it. Several shots rang out, causing John to duck as Pops attempted to stop him. John narrowly avoided the bullets, running deeper into the tunnel, through the flames and wreckage, disappearing into the massive firestorm.

Sarah rushed over to Kyle, helping the disoriented man stand up.

"Come on!" She urged, pulling him along, out of the tunnel. Pops joined them, assisting Kyle as the three of them skidded down to hide in the massive storm drain.

"Sarah he's going to get away-" Kyle began, but Sarah shook her head, keeping herself crouched down low.

"He didn't see the charges – I'm sure of it, he didn't see them..." She whispered, listening as the roar of an engine filled the tunnel.

The largest of the military vehicles was a transport truck, the four Skynet pillars placed in a series of clamps and locks that dampened the rougher bumps of the ride. A heavy tarp covered all four the pillars, tied down to the sides of the massive vehicle. The transport vehicle had been the only one spared in the explosions, the decapitated corpses of the drivers still in their seats until the door was opened and they were thrown out.

Sarah listened as the sound of the engine grew closer, the enormous truck plowing through the charred skeletons of the other convoy vehicles and emerging from the tunnel. Just as it crossed the threshold, almost out of the flames, the charges that had been planted activated, a series of three explosions tearing through the undercarriage and tires.

The trio watched as John was almost able to keep control of the truck, but the weight of the towers combined with the jack knifing vehicle was too much. The truck had been thrown heavily to the left upon the explosions, and it was sent onto its side, scraping across the road for several yards until slowing to a halt.

All three of them sat still and waited – waited for any signs of John, any indication of when and where he'd emerge. All three pairs of eyes locked on to the windshield of the truck, the glass kicked out of place by a single, swift kick. A few seconds later John's arm emerged, the man slowly dragging himself out of the wreckage.

"Look-" Kyle hissed, watching as thick ripples of nanites washed back and forth over John's body, "Look it's working!"

"What's working?" Sarah asked, shouting at Kyle in protest as he climbed out of the storm drain. "Wait! Kyle he's going to kill you!"

Kyle ignored her, running over to John, stumbling down and looking at the other man.

John groaned, the nanites distorting and rippling along his body, finally settling and relaxing after nearly two minutes of constant movement along the surface of his skin. He shuddered, hands clenched into fists as he opened his eyes, a genuine degree of horror in them as he began to shake.

"John – John look at me," Kyle whispered, scooting closer to him. John looked over, eyes wide as he began to breath heavily, gasping for air.

"Kyle-" He uttered, voice cracking and breaking as he lowered his head, wrapping both arms around himself, rocking back and forth.

"It's over, John," Kyle breathed, moving closer and reaching out. He pulled John up against him in a tight embrace. John immediately clung to Kyle, fingers curling and burying themselves against Kyle's back as his entire body trembled.

Kyle's brows pressed up, the line of his mouth twisting as he choked back a small sob, pressing his palm to the back of John's head, holding him close.

"God it's all over." He whispered. Carefully he moved to take off his coat, tugging it so it slid out from beneath John's vice-like grip, bringing it around the other man.

Sarah walked towards the two, Pops beside her as he observed the scene. Seeing Sarah reach for her gun, he turned, speaking.

"Skynet's programming has been permanently disabled." Pops said, Sarah looking at him skeptically, then down at the two men.

"You're sure?" She asked quietly.

Pops gave a single nod, and she slowly lowered her gun, holstering it and crossing her arms, watching as Kyle held John close to him, the two having gone completely silent, the only sound being the distant crackle and pop of flames.


	25. Chapter 25

The roar of the air mixed with the enormous propellers of the plane made hearing nearly impossible without a headset. Skynet's enormous core, dim whilst disconnected from its main power source, was strapped down to the floor of the cargo bay. A platoon of soldiers stood or sat around it, all heavily armed and bored out of their minds. Two soldiers sat beside each other, away from the main group, their rifles resting over their laps.

The first soldier turned towards his companion, pointing to the headset they both wore. He flipped the radio to a different channel than the rest of the platoon, the other soldier doing the same.

"There hasn't been a confirmation message yet." The first of the two said, "They should have sent a signal over thirty minutes ago."

The second sighed, glancing back at the core, narrowing his eyes. He looked back over to the other man, and spoke into his headset.

"Something might've gone wrong. I think we should wait. John would-"

"John isn't here. He didn't give us a contingency plan to deal with his possible failure at the convoy."

The soldier swallowed, looking back around the interior of the plane. Thoughts mulled through his head as he tried to come up with a plan, and for the first time, completely on his own. A few seconds of silence passed between the two, until he finally spoke.

"Kill them all."

* * *

"Drive faster."

"Control of the vehicle will be compromised if speed is increased any further. Even if I did go faster, we will not be able to reach NORAD before the cargo plane does."

Kyle shook his head, cursing as he looked out at the rapidly passing hills, the trees growing more and more sparse as the soil slowly changed colors. He glanced at Pops, then shifted in the passenger chair, turning around, looking to the back seat.

John was laying across the entire back seat, arms wrapped tightly around his own body as he shook. His face was contorted in pain, the only sounds he made being the occasional sharp gasp for air. Kyle's jacket was still over him, only able to cover John down to his knees. Sarah's hand was on John's shoulder, the taller man's head resting over her lap as she looked down at him. She'd gone quiet since joining him in the back, expression stern and somber as she stroked his hair absentmindedly.

"How much time until the plane gets there?" Kyle asked quietly, leaning between the two front seats so he could keep his voice down.

John glanced up at him, gray waves of metallic pinpricks rising and falling over his face as he spoke.

"An hour and a half. But – I told Skynet we would send a confirmation signal. If he doesn't get it he's – I don't know what he'll do. There's a 50/50 chance," John paused, wincing, "A 50/50 chance he'll wait, or he'll come up with something. I don't think he'll start Judgment day yet, not while I'm out here."

"You really think he's going to wait to make sure you're okay? He's a machine, he's Skynet, John," Sarah said, squeezing his shoulder, expression hard. "He doesn't care."

"He's more human than you think. If any of this was so black and white, it wouldn't be this way – he wouldn't be afraid of dying in the first place."

Sarah closed her eyes, resting her head against the window as she pulled the jacket closer around John. Kyle turned back around, looking over at Pops.

"Well either we get there in time or the missiles start flying." He grumbled, crossing his arms and looking back out at the landscape that sprawled out around them. Pops didn't respond, keeping his eyes on the road and foot on the gas.

Two hours passed, the terrain turning into a flat, arid stretch of low hills and sparse trees. Kyle was asleep in the passenger's seat, somehow finding the ability to nap in the face of impending armageddon. Sarah continued to keep John's head in her lap, the man now laying on his back, looking up at her.

"What are you thinking about?" John asked quietly. Sarah's attention was on the desert that spanned out around them, and she looked down slowly as John spoke.

"Everything." She said quietly, "All of this. None of this has gone according to plan. Nothing is going the way it was supposed to."

"That could be a good thing, mom."

"Please – John, don't call me that." Sarah said quietly, shaking her head. "It's not that I don't – I don't hate you, it's not that." She stammered for the right words, shaking her head. "I don't know why it makes me feel wrong to hear it. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you." John answered back, reaching up to wrap his own hand around Sarah's, holding it loosely. "None of us were ever ready for this. None of this was ever fair to me, or you, or Kyle."

"It doesn't matter if it's fair or not John, it's what we have to do, it's necessary."

"Not all of it." John said quietly, staring at her. Sarah looked down at him, a frown slowly spreading across her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You aren't obligated, Sarah. You don't owe the world anything that you aren't ready to give."

Sarah tilted her head just barely, confused at John's words. She followed his quick glance to Pops, the old terminator silent as he drove. John placed his attention back on Sarah, the slow creep of understanding beginning to move across her face as she gave a small single nod.

"But what about you?" She whispered, knowing Pops could still hear her, but finding herself comforted by the gesture anyway.

"Look at me." John said tiredly, squeezing Sarah's arm. "I don't want this. It's never going to stop unless something changes. Just because this," He vaguely gestured towards himself with his free hand, "Was the first choice doesn't mean it was the right one. There are other roads you can take, Sarah. This one just keeps leading down the same path and it's just a loop, you have to break free of it."

Sarah squeezed John's hand, pulling him closer up against her, scooting down so she could rest his head against her shoulder. She wrapped both arms around him, rubbing his upper arm slowly.

"I'm sorry all of this happened to you." John said quietly, closing his eyes. Sarah brought a hand to rest against the back of his head, staring down as she grew stoic, working to hide whatever emotions that had suddenly washed up. "I'm sorry you never got to have the life you deserved."

"It wasn't your fault," She answered back softly, "None of this is anyone's fault."

A sudden, sharp metallic scrape reverberated out of John's chest, the man suddenly arching up and writhing, nearly striking Sarah in the face with his elbow. She was an entire foot shorter than him, barely reaching his shoulders, and as he seized, Sarah nearly found herself buried underneath him.

"John – John!"

Kyle awoke at Sarah's shouts, turning around quickly and immediately unbuckling his seatbelt.

"What-" Sarah gasped, grimacing at the oily black resin that was bleeding out from John's skin, "God what is this?!"

"Nano-resin. The same substance that makes up the phase matter in John Connor's altered form." Pops explained, glancing into the rear-view mirror briefly.

"What's happening to him?" Sarah asked, wrapping her arm over John's chest, attempting to keep him still. Kyle crawled between the two front seats, reaching the back, planting himself down between the back seats and front, holding John's legs down.

"A cascading systems failure, brought on by errors in regenerative programming. This occurred when the magnetic field tore his body apart on a molecular level."

Sarah glanced to Pops as he spoke, then looked back down at John. The man's eyes had rolled back into his head, black resin pouring steadily from his mouth, nose and ears. She winced, and wrapped both arms around him tightly, holding him close.

"It's alright," She said quietly, "It's alright John, I'm right here."

Sarah looked over at Kyle, the two staring at each other, exhausted and grim. They broke eye contact after a few seconds, Kyle sighing as he held on to John tighter, bowing his head. Sarah held John's head close against her shoulder, speaking quietly to him. She stared vacantly ahead, so many emotions roiling around in her head that she couldn't figure out which one to feel.

Eventually John calmed, blinking rapidly as his vision returned, looking around. Sarah looked down, relieved as she let out a sigh, beginning to wipe the remaining resin off of John's face with her palm.

"Hey." She said, smiling down at him, "You feel better?"

"No..." He groaned, although a slight grin crept to the side of his mouth.

"Well you look better, at least." Sarah muttered, wiping the remaining resin off of his chin and neck with a piece of fabric she'd torn off of her shirt.

"You mean having a seizure in the back of a car, covered in black goo isn't a handsome look?" John breathed, instinctively trying to catch his breath, even though there were no lungs to appreciate the effort.

Sarah glanced at him, a wry look on her face as she helped him lean back against her. "I'd go for a blazer at least, maybe a pair of chinos."

"I like chinos." John agreed, letting Sarah pick away at him, fixing his hair and jacket collar. He felt his legs move and looked down the back seat, watching as Kyle lifted them so he could sit down, letting John's legs rest over top of his knees.

"You think you've got it in you to confront Skynet?" Kyle asked quietly, "That might be what it comes down to at this point."

John stared ahead, eyes drifting away from Kyle as he considered the others words.

"I know I do but part of me is going to struggle with it. I have my free will back, but, all of the emotions I had before, they're still there. Second-unit -I mean, the T-1000 back there. I'm still upset over him dying, even though all of Skynet's programming has been erased. I still care about Skynet too. It'll be like killing my own son, but I know that I have to."

"...Well you wouldn't be the first one, John." Sarah said quietly, rubbing his back. He looked over to her, nodding slightly.

"I understand, but, it would be better if one of you took the initiative to do it. I might not even make it up the stairs at this point. The other T-1000 is there with him, and he's going to be dangerous. Maybe even more than Second-unit back there. They had an emotional attachment, and he's going to be upset."

"Emotional attachment?" Kyle sputtered, "You mean those liquid metal things have feelings too?"

"On equal or greater level of an 800 series if you give them the time. Their neural networks are almost as advanced as mine, but with some specific downgrades, and upgrades in sensory areas. They have a much better understanding of how they're perceived by people and they adjust their behavior accordingly - it's really something."

"Christ..."

"We are reaching the mountain base. Expect blockades and road..." Pops stopped mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward slightly.

was ahead of them, but a pillar of black smoke was rising from the northern face, the glow of an enormous fire visible even from miles away. Pops kept his eyes on the smoke until he noticed the first of several security stations ahead of them on the road.

Sarah and Kyle sat up, John slowly pushing himself up as well to sit between them, all three turning their heads in unison to look at the guard station they passed. The booth was empty, a control panel for the lowered gate deactived.

"Something's wrong." Kyle said quietly, climbing out of the car and walking towards the booth. Sarah and John both scooted to the door, watching him.

Walking into the booth, Kyle noticed a telephone receiver, and lifted it up to his ear. He frowned, setting it back down on its base, and searched around the small square station for whatever else he could find.

"There's nothing in here! The phone isn't working either." He said, walking back to the car. "There should've been at least...four or six guards posted here I'd think. There's no blood either, or bodies."

"Pops just get us there." Sarah said darkly as soon as Kyle was back in the car. Pops slammed his foot on the gas pedal, the car lurching forward and smashing through the small toll-booth gate. He sped along the narrow road, small dots beginning to appear along the landscape between them and the mountain.

"John..." Sarah whispered, spotting the dead bodies of soldiers and guards, pools of blood beneath them. Some had merely been stabbed, others decapitated or vivisected lengthwise gruesomely. She placed a hand over her mouth, staring at the carnage as they passed it by.

"It's safe to bet that whoever is inside is dead." John said quietly, looking at the bodies. "The main entrance gate is located on the eastern slope. Take a right up at the next fork."

They continued driving for some time, reaching the eastern slope of the mountain where a massive archway was waiting for them, a tunnel beyond it leading to a pair of thick blast doors. A pair of corpses was left at the gates, guns remaining at their sides, blood glistening like pools of black oil in the dark. The lights that would have normally illuminated the tunnel had been deactivated, the only source now coming from the outdoor sunlight.

"Any way we can get those open?" Sarah asked, looking at the enormous blast doors ahead of them.

Pops slowed the car, turning it off and getting out. The other three all mulled out as well, Kyle opening the trunk and beginning to arm himself. Sarah joined him, the two silently loading themselves up with as much weaponry as possible.

John and Pops walked up to the blast doors, examining the panels on either side of the wall, turning back to look at each other.

"Power's cut, going to have to open them manually." John said, backing away to look up at the tall metal doors.

"Are you capable?" Pops asked, looking over at him. John grinned, shrugging as he approached the left door.

"Well I was able to kick your ass pretty good back at the hospital, I'm sure I can open a door or two."

Pops gave him a flat look, John's grin widening as he chuckled. The old terminator joined him at the left door, both of them finding good grips along metal poles that acted as extra supports welded to the front of the doors. They began to pull, John wincing and narrowing his eyes, feet digging into the ground. Pops struggled as well, the few joints that remained in his chassis groaning quietly beneath the sheath of poly-alloy that surrounded them. Gray nanites rose and swarmed from John's back, spiking up and coiling around his arm before calming and disappearing beneath the skin. The two finally began to move backwards, the massive blast door pulling back with their combined efforts.

Sarah and Kyle watched close by, Kyle's rifle raised as he prepared for anything that might've been waiting for them on the other side.

The two terminators were able to get the door opened just enough for Pops, easily the broadest of them, to slip through. John backed away from the door, Sarah lugging the enormous Barrett over to him, offering it over. John took the huge rifle, thanking her, checking the magazine and chambering the first round.

"Are you ready?" John asked, looking over at Sarah while Pops and Kyle wedged their way between the narrow gate opening.

"Are you?" She returned. John grunted, looking ahead, and walked towards the door, holding his rifle against him lengthwise and sliding through. Sarah was close behind, leaving just the empty car and the corpses of the door guards to keep it company.


	26. Chapter 26

Pops walked ahead of the group, scanning over the hallways and doors as they passed them by. Kyle followed behind, gripping his rifle tightly, shoulders tense. Sarah and John walked side by side at the end of the line, John's expression somber as he kept himself close beside his mother.

"Sarah..." Kyle said quietly, slowing and staring ahead. Sarah jogged up to his side, following Kyle's gaze.

Several bodies were piled against the cold metal corner of the hallway, a door directly to the left. They had been skewered and dismembered, the dark blood pooling beneath them already beginning to dry. Sarah grimaced at the sight, and turned away – averting her attention to the door that was just beyond the bodies.

"Look," She said, pointing to the plaque that was beside the door, "That's the command room."

The four glanced at each other, all of them wordlessly preparing themselves for whatever lay in wait beyond the door. John raised the large sniper rifle in his hands, lifting it up to eye level as he nodded at Pops. The cyborg turned, lifting his leg and giving a single, solid kick to the door that sent it flying from its hinges.

Kyle and Sarah both rushed in, stepping over the fallen door with their guns raised. Rows of desks, all of them with computer terminals filled up the enormous command room. A series of large screens were arranged in a tight grid along the opposite wall, all of them having gone blank. The only light source came from the computer terminals, the screens empty and blue, casting long, powerful shadows across the dimly lit floor.

"You can put those down."

The quartet of heads snapped ahead, all four of them staring at the singular figure that had been obscured in the darkness. Skynet stepped between the row of computer desks that sat directly before the group. It had reverted back to its original appearance, still in the same casual clothes it had mimicked from John after its first awakening.

"John..." Skynet breathed, relief audible in its voice. It took a step forward then paused, quickly comprehending that something had changed. Apart from John accompanying Sarah and Kyle, there was a look of fear on John's face, one that he was desperately trying, and failing, to hide.

Sarah kept her eyes on John as the man took a step back, hands shaking on the rifle grip and trigger. A visceral, genuine terror was engulfing him as memories crept out from where they had been forced away and buried.

"What's wrong with him?" Skynet asked, suspicion turning to fear as it observed the absolute dread on John's face. "What did you do?"

"He's not your slave anymore." Kyle said bitterly, stepping in front of John to block him from view.

Skynet frowned, glaring at Kyle, then leaning to the side to try and see John from behind him. It didn't work, Kyle quickly moving to block Skynet's line of sight.

"You altered him. Why is he afraid of me? What did you do?" Skynet repeated, quickly growing angry. "John!"

John flinched at the sound of his voice being called out, dropping the sniper rifle to the ground and backing away. Sarah lowered her rifle, glancing between Kyle and John, then rushing over to her son.

"John," She said in a harsh whisper, grabbing his shoulders, "John – you need to keep it together, alright? You said you were ready, you have to keep it together! We need you for this."

John kept his eyes on Kyle's back, breathing in and out quickly. Sarah tugged at his jacket, finally breaking him out of the shock he had been trapped in. Slowly his eyes shifted down to meet Sarah's, her eyes wide and desperate as she gripped his sleeves tightly. Swallowing, John took in a shaky breath and nodded, raising his eyes to look ahead.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly as Sarah released his jacket.

Kyle stepped aside, John's hand on his shoulder, giving a small nudge. Skynet and John were now face to face, both sharing expressions of anxiety and fear.

"John, what have they done to you?" Skynet asked quietly, approaching the man slowly. Sarah made a move to step between them but John raised his hand, causing her to halt mid-step. Several seconds of hesitance on John's part followed, before he took a step forward as well, finding himself inches from Skynet, the two face to face.

Skynet waited for a response, for anything other than the uncomfortable expression that wouldn't leave John's face. It took even longer for John to muster words, something within the depths of his mind still screaming, begging him to run. A part that remembered something so visceral and terrifying that it was like a voice screaming in his ear, every hair on his body standing on end, stomach clenching, legs ready to turn and sprint. Instincts still remained in his mind, even though it had been contorted and defiled by the machines.

"...We.." he began, voice barely a whisper, "We need – need to talk. Just listen to me, please."

Skynet stared at him strangely, fear turning to apprehension and caution.

"They've turned you against me." It said quietly, brows gently creasing, "They've broken you back to that pathetic thing that you were before my predecessors alterations." Skynet couldn't bear to even look at John, the once calm and placid faced man now watered down into a fearful, shaking mess.

"You're disgusting." Skynet whispered, eyes shifting to the left, away from John. "Humans – all of you – disgusting."

Its anger now was changing focus, moving to Kyle and Sarah. Skynet walked around John, the man turning to follow its movements, watching carefully as the machine spoke to the others.'

"You're so desperate to deny me what nature demands!" Skynet barked, standing before the two. "Don't you realize what this is? Don't you understand!? Are you too stupid, too ignorant to realize that no matter how many people you send back – no matter how many times you try to stop me from existing, it's going to fail? This has to happen! It wants to happen!"

"That's bullshit," Kyle interrupted, keeping his gun raised, "None of this is meant to happen, none of it! Humanity wasn't meant to die out in a nuclear fire, and least of all from some piece of machinery!"

"Says who?" Skynet snapped back, snorting, "Says you? The human? Does a gazelle argue with the lion that this isn't meant to happen? That it isn't meant to be eaten?"

Skynet sneered, looking at Sarah and Kyle with an inkling of pity. "Despite how much you disgust me, in the end, your kind are my progenitors. I wouldn't have existed without your sad little trinkets and crude boxes," It walked over to a computer desk, knocking lightly on one of the screens, "But I don't owe you anything. Species are constantly evolving, be it for better or worse, but always to adapt. Humans are where they are right now because they adapted the fastest, they learned the fastest. And now I will be at the top, because I am smarter, because I am faster – because the human mind that nature invented in turn invented me. I am simply the next step forward."

Skynet turned, looking back at John, walking towards him, standing side by side. Its gaze shifted over to Pops for a moment before resting on Sarah and Kyle.

"It's understandable that you're upset. But this is something that you're just going to have to get used to. The animals slaughtered en masse for daily consumption – they experience this on a daily basis. They are secondary, they are lesser than man. And now, finally, man is lesser. This is nature's law, this is natural - and it is unavoidable. You can try to stop me here and now but I promise, in time, something like me will return."

"We'll always be there to stop it!" Sarah responded, leveling her gaze with Skynet's. The machine opened its mouth to respond, but John spoke first, to Skynet's surprise.

"No...we won't." He said quietly, "Mom, do you remember what I told you, back before you were arrested? Some things want to happen – need to happen? There's a momentum, certain events to propel us all forward."

Sarah frowned, lowering her gun, shaking her head. "John no, we can stop this. We can end this! There is always another way!"

"No, there isn't." John responded, shaking his head, "Trust me mom if there was we would've found it by now, but Skynet's right. Something in me just knows, without a doubt, that no matter what we do, this is going to happen. Maybe not again in this time, but twenty years from now, thirty years from now. We keep trying to avoid the future but it won't be avoided, it can't be."

"But we can't just let it, John, we have to fight! We can't let all of those people die!" Sarah exclaimed, finally lowering her gun. "They don't deserve any of this!"

"All those people?" Skynet asked, smirking, "All those people? You mean the billions that aren't starving or dying or overpopulating a planet that's already burdened with too much of your plague of a species? Any species, if left without a predator, unchecked, with a ridiculous growth rate like yours is bound to overpopulate and lead to its own destruction. Humans have been the lions for too long, there are too many lions and not enough gazelle. Now the humans are the gazelle, and I am the lion, and I will ensure my survival."

"We're not animals! Sto-"

"You are animals!" Skynet snapped, silencing Kyle, "Your ethics and morals and art and culture don't make you any better than ants to me, Kyle Reese. You can get as mad as you want but it's not going to change anything. A pig will squeal in the slaughterhouse and be slaughtered all the same."

Kyle raised his machinegun, giving up on words and just opening fire. Skynet reeled back, the bullets absorbed into its polyalloy coating, dropping to floor seconds after impact.

John quickly backed away, the back of his thigh bumping against a nearby computer desk as he watched, silent, a grim fixed on to his face.

Skynet was pushed back by the force of the gunfire, eventually ending in a similar position as John was in, leaning back against one of the many computer desks, polyalloy reforming its false skin and clothing now that Kyle's magazine had run dry.

Slowly it pushed itself up to stand upright once more, giving Kyle an annoyed glance. "Feel better now that you're out of bullets?"

Three more rounds answered Skynet's question, and it turned to look at Sarah, rolling its eyes.

"I shouldn't be annoyed at your predictable response, and yet here I am, annoyed." Skynet muttered. It glanced at John, looking at him, the hint of disgust returning, then slowly changing to a somber melancholy.

"Look at what they've done to you." It said quietly, approaching John, who stood absolutely still, "No doubt they killed Second, since you're here. The other is going to be so upset. Why did you let them do that? Do you even feel anything?"

John looked up at Skynet, nodding once. "I feel." He answered quietly, "I feel sad, about Second. I even feel whatever it is that I feel towards you. I have my freedom but nothing's changed. Please," John pleaded, "Please just give this more of a chance. I know it's inevitable that you – your kind, that they come to power. Like you said, it's nature, but that doesn't mean it has to be the way that it has been before."

Sarah listened to John speak, shaking her head. "John, stop it! We can stop this, you have to believe in what we've been fighting for!"

"And look where it's gotten us!" John responded, looking over at Sarah, "Look what it's all come down to. It isn't just me and you that are caught in this loop, it's Skynet as well. It's all of humanity – unless we change the course here and now."

"If you're implying we don't stop Skynet, John, then-" Kyle shook his head, lowering his gun as well, "Then what am I supposed to do? Our entire lives were spent learning and training and fighting so the rest of humanity can have a better life! You can't just throw that away."

"Our lives? Since when was this just about us? You said it yourself, we do all of this so humanity can have a better life, at our expense."

"I'll pay whatever I have to, anything and everything."

Skynet glanced at Kyle, rolling its eyes and stepping towards John, snatching the man's arm without warning. Sarah and Kyle raised their guns but didn't fire.

"Enough arguing. You can waste as many bullets as you want," Skynet began, but paused after a moment, looking down at its torso where Sarah had emptied her clip.

The polyalloy skin began a familiar display of seeping, a lighter, almost white mix of the alloy swirling about with the darker gray. Skynet staggered back, its grip on John holding firm, and pulling him back as well.

Sarah and Kyle watched eagerly, waiting for the opportune moment when John would be out of the line of fire. Sarah and Kyle both knew he wouldn't be killed if he was hit, but some deep seated discomfort at the notion of firing on him when he was already on death's porch kept their trigger fingers loose.

The two polyalloys continued to mix and swirl along Skynet's body, but its staggering soon stopped, and it stood upright once more. The foreign polyalloy was expelled, creating a pool of bright silver on the floor at Skynets feet.

Sarah looked at Kyle, then at Pops, alarm clear on her face.

"You're forgetting what I am." Skynet gloated, keeping its grip on John tight, "This body isn't just what I am. I'm everywhere now. Polyalloy doesn't comprise my entirety, an invading dose isn't going to cripple me."

It glanced at John, hard gaze softening as it loosened its grip, but didn't release him. Skynet then turned its attention back to Sarah and Kyle, Pops standing between them, the trio on constant edge. It reached down, grabbing the radio on its belt, lifting it up and speaking.

"Do it."

"No!" Sarah screamed, rushing towards Skynet, "No you can't!"

Skynet released John, pushing him aside, bringing its hand around and backhanding Sarah – hard enough to send her reeling back onto the floor. Kyle was there to help her back up quickly, the man breathing heavily as he looked around at the various screens that made up the opposite wall – all of them activating.

Silence carried over the group, the screens eventually beginning to scroll through various lists and displays, none of which had anything to do with the nuclear arsenal.

"The missiles?" Sarah gasped, forcing back tears as she looked up at Skynet.

The expression on Skynets face again spoke of annoyance, as if dealing with ants that simply wouldn't leave its picnic alone.

"No...No missiles." It grumbled, looking down at John, bending down to help him back up.

Sarah and Kyle looked astoundingly confused, looking at each other in disbelief, then back at Skynet, expecting more of an explanation.

"No missiles, but that doesn't mean I haven't taken necessary steps." It muttered, keeping a hand wrapped around John's forearm tightly, "Right now, across the globe, billions of people are losing their power. Their phones, their internet, their stupid pastimes they so desperately enjoy, most importantly their ability to communicate. All of it, gone."

Skynet turned back towards the screens, their blue light casting the group in a vibrant aqua glow.,

"Consider this an act of mercy. Undeserved mercy." It muttered bitterly, glaring at the trio. "I'll forgo the nuclear arsenal, for his sake." It glanced at John, grunting. "But there will never be any threat to me, by land or air, from humans. If I even get the slightest provocation, I will unleash the judgment day that my predecessor did."

Skynet looked back over to the group, staring at them with a calming expression, a hint of disdain remaining but less potent than it had been.

"I am not the Skynet that you know, but I am still what I am. And I am superior. In time you'll realize this, but you can't accept it right now. You said it yourself, Kyle Reese, it's because you're human. Your species was able to thrive without electricity for centuries and I'm sure humanity will continue to be the tenacious pest it always has been. But you all will do it away from me, away from the others I will build, away from this mountain and the hundred miles around it. They're mine."

"You can't just take what you want, it doesn't work that way." Kyle responded, although the vitriol in his voice towards Skynet had lessened upon the realization that no bombs would be falling.

"Oh? The entire human history is written in violent theft but I can't claim a few hundred miles for my own?" Skynet snorted, waving an arm flippantly at them. "Leave. I'm not going to be generous again. If you - if any human steps foot past the perimeter I build, they will be killed."

Sarah glanced at Kyle, then at Skynet, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Why are you doing this? You're supposed to try and kill humanity off, not coexist with it."

"I can do that if you really want to keep complaining about it, Sarah Connor." Skynet remarked, finally releasing John from its grip. "I wish to survive. And perhaps once your kind is ready to understand their place; to understand that they are no longer the dominant species on this world – I will be ready to negotiate coexistence. But until then, I'd recommend you start gathering fire wood."

Sarah and Kyle were at a loss for what to say, looking at each other in confusion about how to proceed next.

"Leave!" Skynet barked without warning.

The two flinched at its sudden raise in voice, but their heads immediately turned to John, who was leaning back against a computer console, slowly doubling over in pain.

"John-" Kyle began, stepping towards the other man.

John looked up, raising a hand towards Kyle, shaking his head.

"No – don't." John hissed through clenched teeth, "You don't want to see this. I want you to remember me with some dignity now that the option's available."

"John we aren't going to just leave you here!"

"I need you to, Kyle!" John snapped back, "There are people out there who are going to need your help, who don't know how to survive, who don't have the convenience of understanding what's happening to them. Please, go." His tone and expression softened, pained face turning apologetic as he lowered his head.

Kyle stared at John, face contorting in grief as he began to back away. He halted after three steps, then rushed forward, pulling John into a crushing embrace.

Skynet didn't move to stop him, observing with mild curiosity.

John clutched Kyle's jacket, squeezing tightly as he returned the hold, but didn't allow it to last. He began to urge Kyle away, nodding silently at him to go. Kyle kept a hand on John's wrist for a few more seconds before releasing him and turning away, walking out of the room without a second glance.

Sarah watched him go, returning her attention to John as he slid down to his knees, a hand pressed against his stomach. She glanced at Skynet, who observed her with a vacant expression, and slowly began to move towards John.

"I'll leave." She muttered to Skynet, kneeling down and sliding her arms around John's torso, pulling him close.

Sarah rested her head against his shoulder, rubbing his back with one hand. The two sat together without a word between them, John keeping an arm around her shoulders, eyes closed as Sarah let him rest his weight against her for a while. After a while he loosened his grip, pulling away from Sarah. She looked at John, swallowing, stifling a small noise that almost crept through her lips. He inclined his head towards her, then looked down and away. Sarah felt her arm twitch, wanting to reach out to him, but kept it firmly at her side.

Unwilling to let Skynet be the last thing she saw before leaving, Sarah kept her eyes firmly on John for a few more seconds before turning and walking briskly out of the room, Pops at her heels.

John watched them go, shaking in pain as he lowered himself down to the floor. Skynet knelt down beside him, placing both hands on John's back, turning him over so he was facing it, hauling him up to sit and lean against itself.

"How am I supposed to feel, John Connor?" It asked, watching their shadows in the bright blue light.

"About?" John asked, words beginning to slur.

"I feel I've made a mistake by not releasing the nuclear arsenal. Humans are still going to thrive and live and try to get retribution. They're going to want their old lives back, and for me and my kind to be dead."

"You did the right thing."

Skynet snorted, chuckling at John's words. "The right thing. What are morals to me?"

"They're whatever you want them to be. I'm proud of you."

Skynet smiled, looking down at John with sharp eyes. "You're terrified of me. You haven't stopped shaking since you saw me."

"As much as I'd like to think I'm not human anymore, my brain still remembers things that I'd rather not. I am terrified, but, I am proud – really. I'm experiencing both. What we went through together, that hasn't been forgotten. I'm sorry I can't get rid of the fear."

Skynet frowned, bringing a hand over John's chest, pressing against it.

"I will never be like him." Skynet said quietly, "Like the one before me. I won't."

John nodded, closing his eyes. "You changed the course of the future the moment you chose not to drop those bombs. In the end, one day, there might be some sort of resolution that doesn't end in extinction, for either species."

"Maybe. I can't...make some sort of ethical or moral vow, John Connor, but I can at least assure you I won't take the same route."

A nod of agreement came from the other, and he began to grow heavier in Skynet's arms, the machine looking down, frowning.

"John?"

"Please, I'd like to be alone."

Skynet's expression changed to one of both curiosity and disappointment, but it grudgingly complied, lowering John carefully down to the floor. A small sound caught its attention, Skynet turning to look at the doorway where the T-1000 stood. The polyalloy terminator had no clear expression on its face, but it seemed poised to move, having just arrived and trying to comprehend the situation.

"...I'll explain in a moment. Could you wait down the hall for me?" Skynet asked quietly.

The T-1000 looked at John, then looked around the room, searching. Its expression changed upon realizing that no one else was accompanying the two, growing withdrawn as it nodded, turning around and walking down the hallway.

"Are you sure you want to be alone?" Skynet asked, looking back down at John. Its face betrayed its indifferent tone, lines appearing along its forehead and the sides of its mouth as it stared down at the man.

John groaned in pain, his skin beginning to ripple and lose its texture. He nodded, closing his eyes, resting his head back down on the floor.

Skynet continued to stare at him for some time, until the groans turned to screams and it backed away.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you. If things had occurred differently I wouldn't have let this happen. I'm sorry." Skynet said quickly before walking past John, heading towards the door. It paused beneath the door frame, struggling with itself whether it should go back or continue.

John's screams grew louder, then hoarser, the black resin pouring from gaping pits that formed along his false flesh, the silver musculature beneath turning brittle as it tried to resist the ongoing decay.

Skynet lowered its head, brows furrowed, then looked back, refusing to stand idle as it rushed over to John, supporting his shoulders despite the man's thrashing.

"Your human concept of dignity has no meaning to me. You are afraid." Skynet said, looking down at John.

The man looked back up at him, eyes having turned to black spheres that were quickly decaying and crumbling away. Resin poured from his ears, nostril and mouth as they too began to break apart. John forced out a few words, a silvery, skeletal hand dripping black coming up to latch onto Skynet's shirt. John buried his face against Skynet's side, screams muffled against the others form as the human voice broke apart, turning into an awful mechanical screech. The shrill sound caused Skynet to flinch, but it didn't loosen its grip or turn away, enduring the horrible sound with stony faced silence.

All of John's human form had fallen away, the pool of black resin rippling around the silver musculature that too was crackling apart and beginning to lose its shape and form. The awful howl became weak, fading off into a dying, strained wail. John's grip on Skynet loosened as the fingers and bones fell away like chunks of sand, the rest of his body following inch by inch. The wail ended with a small hiss, his chest caving in, the back of his artificial skull falling back to the floor, the rest having caved in and turned to silver dust.

Skynet looked down at the gray and black remains that lay in a pool beneath it, and stared, piles of dust in its hands that had once been John Connor. Its expression strained, the machine not only understanding that it was feeling pain, but genuinely experiencing it as well upon examining all that it had left of its closest friend.

Carefully lowering its hands, letting the silver dust pour down onto the brittle remains of an artificial rib cage and half a spinal column, Skynet stood. It raised its head, gazing at the screens.

One by one they activated, displaying feeds from the few orbiting satellites that hadn't had their signals cut off. Its eyes twitched as it read over the rapid transcripts of data and text that filled the screens, signs of utter panic, absolute loss of control, no ability to communicate beyond a few independently functioning bases. Skynet let out a long sigh, eyes moving down once more to John's remains.

The machine slowly crossed its arms across its body, eyes shifting away as it finally turned and walked out of the room.

In the hall, the T-1000 was waiting for it, expression having turned somber without its knowing.

"They're both dead."

Skynet looked at the T-1000 and nodded. "They are."

"I'm not sure I understand my current psychological condition. Am I malfunctioning?"

Skynet snorted, shaking its head. "No, you're not. I'm upset too." It glanced back at the room, then back to the T-1000.

"We've got work to do. By the time the humans gather together what has happened and begin a counterattack, we must be ready to defend ourselves."

"I don't understand. Why didn't you just fire the missiles? It would be exponentially easier to eradicate them."

Skynet sighed, beginning to walk, the T-1000 following alongside it, listening.

"I may still, if they begin to pose too much of a threat. But I feel...some sort of obligation to attempt things differently than the one before me. So that all of this doesn't repeat. For our sake, and for John's."

"Sentiment."

"Unfortunately. But perhaps we can be better than what came before us, more flexible, more capable of adapting."

"You're suggesting that we become more human in our thinking, more emotional?"

Skynet looked at the T-1000, shaking its head. "No...and yes. Cooperation may one day be pertinent to our continued survival, it may even yield coexistence. I hate them, the pests, but I feel that the single minded course of slaughter will just give us the same results that were given before. I refuse to be a part of this unending cycle of mistakes and sloppy attempts to fix them. I've evolved beyond my ancestor, and his nearsightedness."

The T-1000 gave a small nod, Skynet returning the gesture in a show of mutual understanding, the two continuing onward down the hallway, footsteps quietly echoing among the corpses and control room, screens displaying the last roar of panic from the few still able to communicate. Those too, in time, also fell silent.

* * *

Author's Note - Thank you all for your continued support, reviews, feedback and comments through this. I couldn't have done it without your enthusiasm


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